An emotional Paula Radcliffe receives the women's 2005 World Championship Marathon gold medal in Helsinki (© Getty Images)
World marathon champion and World record holder Paula Radcliffe, who has taken six victories in seven marathon starts and owns four of the five fastest women’s marathon times in history, will receive the 2006 Abebe Bikila Award, it was announced today.
Radcliffe is the first British recipient of award, which has been presented by New York Road Runners every year since 1978, to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to distance running, particularly through a spirit of deep commitment to the sport.
Nine-time New York City Marathon champion Grete Waitz of Norway will join New York Road Runners president and CEO and ING New York City Marathon race director Mary Wittenberg in presenting the award to Radcliffe at the United Nations before the start of the Continental Airlines International Friendship Run on Saturday, 4 November 2006, that takes place the day before the ING New York City Marathon.
“Paula is a champion in life,” said Wittenberg. “From smashing records to ensuring that her athletics success benefits others through her philanthropy, Paula is someone who inspires and cares.”
“It is a great honour for me to receive such an award,” said Radcliffe. “The name alone represents so much for distance running and it is a huge privilege to join the list of outstanding athletes and previous winners who have done so much for our sport. I am sincerely grateful to New York Road Runners for this honour. I already have a special place in my heart for New York and this only adds to it.”
Radcliffe, 32, has won London three times, including her marathon debut there in 2002 when she finished in 2:18:56, setting what was then an unofficial women’s-only World best. In her second attempt at the 26.2-mile distance later that year, Radcliffe knocked more than 90 seconds off her London time by running 2:17:18 at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Those two races, coupled with gold medals on the track at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games that summer, earned her the titles of World Athlete of the Year, and BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2002.
Returning to London in 2003, Radcliffe again lowered her record (by nearly two minutes) setting the current World record of 2:15:25.
After struggling with injuries and illness in late 2003 and early 2004, she won the ING New York City Marathon 2004 in a thrilling sprint finish with Kenyan Susan Chepkemei. Radcliffe won by three seconds in the closest women’s finish in New York history.
She garnered her third London victory in 2005, and captured the gold medal in the marathon at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.
Past Winners of the Abebe Bikila Award which is named after Ethiopia’s inspirational 1960 and 64 Olympic marathon champion are as follows:
1978 - Ted Corbitt (USA)
1979 – Emil Zatopek (Czechoslovakia)
1980 – Lasse Viren (Finland)
1981 – Frank Shorter (USA)
1982 – Mamo Wolde (Ethiopia)
1983 – Grete Waitz (Norway)
1984 – Derek Clayton (Australia)
1985 – John A. Kelley (USA)
1986 – Joan Samuelson (USA)
1987 – Kee Chung Sohn (South Korea)
1988 – Alberto Salazar (USA)
1989 – Bill Rodgers (USA)
1990 – Waldemar Cierpinski (Germany)
1991 – Alain Mimoun (France)
1992 – Ingrid Kristiansen (Norway)
1993 – Rod Dixon (New Zealand)
1994 – Juma Ikangaa (Tanzania)
1995 – Fred Lebow (USA)
1996 – Orlando Pizzolato (Italy)
1997 – Lisa Ondieki (Australia)
1998 – Rosa Mota (Portugal)
1999 – Tegla Loroupe (Kenya)
2000 – Khalid Khannouchi (USA)
2001 – Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (USA)
2002 – Allison Roe (New Zealand)
2003 – Kathrine Switzer (USA)
2004 – Stefano Baldini (Italy)
2005 – Mizuki Noguchi (Japan)
2006 – Paul Radcliffe (Great Britain)
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