Why do people diss Paula Radcliffe?

Because people, on the whole, are lacking compassion and common decency?

I have no idea, I always thought she was a great athlete. I have to admit to wondering why on earth she was competing in the Olympics with only 3 weeks training though.

I think she's great. I can't run for a bus let alone run 26 miles with minimal training after an injury. I think she's a true inspiration, especially after winning a marathon so soon after giving birth. I hope she's going to still be running for 2012.

My H was quite harsh the other day...saying why was she bothering now as she came 23rd.

To be fair, I think she is fab for what she does. I struggle to run 5K and she can run 26 miles!! Completely agree she is an inspiration, to carry on.

I have no idea why she gets so much stick. She is determined to do well, isn't she? No matter what injuries set her back, she tries and tries. I can only admire her for that.

No idea - but I reckon unless the critic can run a marathon with only three weeks training and still finish 23rd in a world class time then they should possibly re-think their opinion. While, I feel sorry for the Brit that was replaced by Radcliffe, I can understand why it was done - Paula Radcliffe has a history of doing well on the world class stage and has plenty of experience. So the selectors took a risk with someone who could, on the day, stand a good chance of winning a medal, whereas the other runner would probably be the first to admit that that was never going to happen with her.

If that reply was meant for me then you could have just addressed it to me Suzi. I only heard the bit about her having three weeks training, I have no idea of the story other than that and that was my immediate thought - we're there to win medals afterall.

It was meant for the person that works with Sophie - not you - in that he/she was looking for a "***-fest". As for winning medals I think the selectors opted for Paula because there was a chance she could win a medal, the other runner that wasn't picked doesn't really have a history to suggest she would have been in the "running" for any medals even if she was at her peak of fitness.

I always feel a bit sorry for her. She seems to be driven by something a bit...sad. I suspect she's married to a bit of a pig and has a bit of a haunted look about her.

Must admit I've noticed something a bit odd about the husband - nothing concrete he just seems a bit overbearing. There was an interview on the world service just after Radcliffe had finished and he was asked if he was proud of his wife but he didn't answer it just started going on about her training. Could be he was still in "coach" rather than husband mode....but it just felt "odd" - well to me anyway.

Sophie I really don't know, its almost like some ofthe media (and others obviously) are rubbing theire hands with glee every time something goes wrong.

I got the rage at some of the comments on the BBC sport pages about her. People saying she was a 'mediocre athlete'...um ok then the female world record holder with a time that no-one has got near, yep just mediocre ?

Whatever she did on Sunday she was damned. At Athens she was slated by people for not carrying on (even though she couldn't) they said she stopped because she knew she had no chance of winning. On Sunday if she hadn't of started it would have been that she wasn't willing to 'have a go'. Then because she did have a go it was because of the 'sponsership deals she would get' and that she knew she was unfit and should have let someone else had her place.

If you ever find out could you let me know, because it baffles me!!

I am sure there was a program on her a few years back, fly on the wall type, and her H was a real bully. Very critical and never seemed to switch out of 'coach' mode. Controlling and as if he was living all his hopes through her. I agree that something doesnt seem right about him and she seems very 'haunted'.

I love Paula Radcliffe. I think she's an inspiration, I feel sorry for what happened to her in Athens and in this Olympics, but I felt more sorry for her than the fact she didn't win a medal for team GB.

I have no idea - to run a marathon after having a stress fracture and no proper training is spectacular. My colleague keeps referring to her as "Quitter Radcliffe" to annoy me. I just ignore him now. He's the same colleague who thinks there shouldn;t be an Olympics because they're "pointless". Ho hum.

I don't know either - her achievements never seem to hit the press the way her failures do. The public aren't very forgiving when people take a chance and it doesn't pull off, I guess.

I think she's an inspiration and I don't know why people give her so much stick. She's an amazing athlete when she's fully fit. She's been unlucky with injuries but I can understand why the selectors picked her, she's far and away the best we have.

My OH is really disrespectful about her, I have no idea why he dislikes her so much! I have a feeling that it's jealousy that she can run a marathon and he can't!

I used to do a bit of running and know how much dedication and hard work it took (for me) to run even 10k in a reasonable time, let alone to run 26 miles! I applaud her and she is an inspiration!