LONDON — Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe has warned her rivals she will be back to reclaim the limelight once her second baby is born with an elusive Olympic gold medal high on her wish list.
Radcliffe, who is seven months pregnant, can only watch Saturday's European Athletics Championships marathon on television as others take the medals in Barcelona.
But the 36-year-old Briton put them on notice by saying she has lost none of her appetite for competing at the highest level.
"I'm still out running -- less so on the roads, more on softer ground at the moment -- but I'm still able to be running every day," Radcliffe told AFP.
"I've had to scale back. But I miss competing. I'm watching the European Championships, you do miss that side of it. I'm looking forward to getting back and competing once the baby's healthy and strong."
Radcliffe took a break in 2006 for the birth of daughter Isla, born after a 26-hour labour, but her comeback in 2007 was then delayed due to a stress fracture in her lower back.
This time she will not push herself to get back into racing.
"I will take off as much time as I need to," she said.
"I feel last time I'd missed the competitive side, I missed just getting out and being able to run hard, so I probably came back a little bit too quickly.
"Now, the second time around, I'm more aware of listening to my body and seeing whether it's recovered or not, so it's hard to put a time on it if you don't know how difficult the labour's going to be.
"The most important thing is to get back into good shape and racing strongly in good time for 2012.
"I want to be on that start line completely healthy and ready to go."
The long-distance runner has the London 2012 Games in her sights and wants to exorcise a few Olympic demons.
In Athens 2004, drained by injury complications, she pulled out mid-way through the marathon in distress, while in Beijing 2008, she was not fully fit in time and suffered cramp pains as she struggled to a 23rd-placed finish.
"Fingers crossed everything goes well this time. I really want the chance to say that I've been at an Olympic Games and given my best on the day and been able to give the best I could," she said.
Radcliffe is already buzzing about the chance to grab Olympic glory on home ground.
She won the London Marathon on her debut at the distance in 2002; in 2003, setting the current world record, and won it again in 2005.
"You cannot over-estimate how much of a boost it is for home-country athletes," she said.
"In terms of being able to dig a little deeper, just having those reserves, and certainly being used to the climate, the conditions; and the support out there, to have people shouting for you the whole way makes a massive difference."
On Tuesday, London marked two years to go until the 2012 Games begin.
"The new stadium, it was giving me goosebumps just looking at it," she said.
"I can't wait to see what it looks like full of people really supporting the Olympic Games and hopefully watching some amazing scenes."
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