Paula Radcliffe's Ups & Downs! Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. As a distance runner, Paula Radcliffe has won many world championship medals. In which of the following disciplines did she earn her first gold medal?

Answer: Cross-Country

Paula Radcliffe was born on 17th December 1973 in Cheshire, England. Although she was diagnosed with both anemia and asthma at a yound age, she began her running career as a 7-year old student at Little Leigh Primary School. Her first World Championship was in Cross-Country at the 1992 Junior IAAF Championships held in Boston. Later that year she would finish 4th in the 3000m event at the World Junior track championships.

2. Paula Radcliffe was selected to five Olympic teams for Great Britain from 1996 until 2012. What event was she chosen to run in at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta Georgia?

Answer: 5000m

At just 23-years of age, Paula earned her first trip to the Olympics as a member of the British team in the 5000m event. Paula qualified comfortably for the Final in 1996 by running 15:23 in the semi-finals. In the final she ran faster (15:13) but could only finish 5th. On that day, the gold medal was won by Wang Junxia of China who Paula had beaten 4 years earlier at the World Junior cross-country championships.

3. Paula Radcliffe's run at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was both an emotional "up" and an emotional "down." Which of the following describes best her 2000 Olympic experience?

Answer: Finished 4th, her highest ever placing at an Olympic Games in any event

Paula Radcliffe ran 32:34.70 to qualify for the Final of the Women's 10,000m run at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In the Final, she ran a remarkable 30:26.97 which was a new National British record. Unfortunately, her performance was only good enough for 4th place and she finished one position off the medal rostrum.

The race was won by Ethiopian, Derartu Tulu in 30:17, the silver medal went to compatriot Gete Wami in 30:22, and bronze went to Portugese athlete Fernanda Ribeiro also running 30:22. Gete Wami was another athlete that Paula beat at the World Junior cross-country championships back in 1992.

4. In this year she was crowned, World Cross-Country Champion, European Champion, Commonwealth Games Champion, and broke the World Record in the marathon for the very first time. What year was, arguably, the most successful of Paula's running career?

Answer: 2002

2002 started very well with Paula capturing the World Long Course Cross-Country Championship in Dublin, Ireland. She followed this success with a debut in the London Marathon where she ran 2:18.55, which was the second fastest women's marathon of all-time.

Then, during the summer, she won the European Championships in the 10.000m (Munich, Germany) and the Commonwealth Games Gold medal in the 5000m (Manchester, England). The year ended with an unbelievable effort to win the Chicago marathon in a World record of 2:17.18.

Her services to sport earned her an MBE and the title of BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

5. Paula Radcliffe won three IAAF World Championships (in 2000, 2001, and 2003) with the following times respectively: 1:09.07, 1:06.47, and 1:07.35. In which event did these performances occur?

Answer: Half Marathon

The 2000 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championship was held in Veracruz, Mexico. The 2001 version of the race was hosted in Bristol, England and the 2003 race in Vilamoura, Portugal. The time Paula ran to win the World title in 2001 was credited as a World record and a British record at the time.

6. The lowest point in Paula's athletic career was undoubtedly the 2004 Summer Olympic Games where she failed to complete which two Olympic races?

Answer: 10,000m & Marathon

Paula Radcliffe went into the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as the World Record holder in the marathon. She was the overwhelming favorite for the race but dropped out just 4 miles from the finish line. Paula had sustained an injury in training several weeks earlier and was on a course of strong anti-inflammatory drugs.

This medicine hindered food absorption and made her very sick in the race. Five days later she lined up on the start line for the 10,000m final but dropped out with 8 laps left to go. The British press vilified her for "quitting" in the races.

7. After the disappointment of failing to finish two races at the 2004 Olympic Games, Paula bounced back with a win at the London Marathon in 2005. However, her victory is remembered more for what event, that occurred toward the end of the race?

Answer: Paula stopped on the side of the road to defecate after being hit with painful diarrhea

Paula earned the title of World Marathon Champion in winning the London Marathon in 2005. Her time was a speedy 2:17.42 in the all-female race. The time would have been even quicker but towards the end of the race she experienced a wave of stomach cramps and diarrhea. In full view of spectators and television cameras she squatted on the side of the road to relieve herself.

8. On 14th August 2005, Paula Radcliffe earned Great Britain's only gold medal at the IAAF World Track & Field Championships. What place did the British women earn in the Marathon team championship, thanks largely to Paula's World Championship best performance?

Answer: Bronze

Paula beat Catherine Ndereba of Kenya by over a minute to win the IAAF Marathon World Championship. Her time of 2:20.57 was a new championship record. Kenya won the team marathon title with Japan in second place. The Great Britain team of Paula Radcliffe, Mara Yamauchi, Hayley Haining, and Debbie Mason won a historic bronze medal in the team championship.

9. Paula decided to train hard for the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, but experienced a huge "low" when she broke what bone just months before the Olympic Games?

Answer: Left leg

Paula's bad luck during Olympic years continued into 2008. She withdrew from the London marathon on account of a foot injury and then experienced a break in her left leg in May. Unbelievably, she managed to get fit in time for the Olympic Games but could only finish a disappointing 23rd after cramping in the later stages of the race.

A few months later she returned to New York City to win her 3rd marathon title in 2:23.56.

10. Determined to have one last shot at Olympic glory, Paula trained for the London 2012 Summer Olympics. In which historic European marathon, site of frequent male marathon world records, did Paula run her Olympic A-qualifying standard?

Answer: Berlin, Germany

I was honored to be there on Sunday 25th September when Paula Radcliffe qualified for the 2012 London Olympics. She finished 3rd in the race with a time of 2:23.46. Her time was the 4th fastest time by a European athlete going into the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, she withdrew from the London Games due to a foot injury in late summer.

Source: Author coachpauly

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Paula Radcliffe is a fascinating British distance running athlete. In 2003, she ran a remarkable 2:15.25 to set a world record in the women's marathon. How much do you know about her career?

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