Pregnant Radcliffe to carry on competing

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) World marathon champion Paula Radcliffe, who has been aiming for a return to major competition at the European championships next month, says she is expecting a baby in January.

However, the 32-year-old Briton vowed to continue competing as she announced her pregnancy in an interview with the Times newspaper today.

''What has surprised me most is that people ask if I will carry on competing,'' said Radcliffe, who is married to her manager, former athlete Gary Lough.

''This is especially surprising as I have said I want to carry on until 2012 (the London Olympics). And this news means it is more likely, rather than less likely, that I will do that,'' she added.

''I want to get back running as soon as possible. I know I'll miss it.'' The paper said Radcliffe, now 14 weeks pregnant, had not ruled out competing during her pregnancy and had the world championships in Osaka, Japan, in August 2007 in her sights.

She had planned to run the 10,000 metres at the European championships in Sweden and that could still be a possibility.

However, she will almost certainly miss the year's remaining three major marathons -- Berlin in September, Chicago in October and New York in November.

Radcliffe has not raced this year, missing the Commonwealth Games in March and April's London Marathon due to surgery on her right foot.

''My recent foot injury made me realise I was never going to decide to reach the Beijing Olympics (in 2008) and then give it up to have children, so we decided to give it a go,'' she said.

''We are ready to be parents and if you are happy, you run better. I have been competing since 1991, so the rest will do me good and it probably won't do my body any harm to be challenged in a different direction.

''Mentally I will have fulfilled one of my life goals, so I will return more mature and with the wisdom that is part of being a mother,'' she told the newspaper.

Radcliffe can look to the example of Scotland's Liz McColgan, who won a bronze medal at the 1991 world cross country championships just four months after giving birth.

REUTERS PM ND1444