The pictures from Athens are still in good memory: Paula Radcliffe, the big favorite in the marathon, was sitting on the roadside crying. After the marathon shock, the English runner tried the 10,000-meter race and failed again. After the darkest hours in Paula Radcliffe’s career a year ago she now wants to reach her biggest triumph at the World Championships in Helsinki. The 31-year-old marathon world record holder (2:15:25 hours) will run the 10,000m on the first day at the World Championships.

There are different opinions about whether Paula Radcliffe’s double gives her a favor or if she just let go another chance to win a big gold medal. She never won at a summer World Championships or at the Olympics. But Paula doesn’t see the 10,000m grim: “My goal is the marathon.” For the 10,000m the Ethiopian runner Tirunesh Dibaba counts as a favorite, as well as her sister Ejegayehu and the third Ethiopian Werknesh Kidane. Furthermore the World Cross Country champion, Edith Masai (Kenya) will run the race and for Sabrina Mockenhaupt (Germany) it would be great to finish in the top ten.

In the marathon, which will be held on the very last day of the championships, Paula Radcliffe normally is a big favorite. But she has to watch the Kenyan titleholder Catherina Ndereba and the Japanese runners. Tirunesh Dibaba is another athlete who wants to double. Besides the 10,000m she will also run the 5,000m.

For the first time the 3,000m steeplechase will be held at the world championships, and with Dorcus Inzikuru (Uganda), who is with 9:15.04 minutes by far the fastest woman, there is already a big hope. At the 800m race the Russians are going to be the favorites, particularly Tatyana Andrianova. The Russian Yuliya Chizhenko is the fastest of the season at the 1,500m.

There are also some men who try the double: Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) wants to win the double at 5,000 and the 10,000m for the first time. With gold ambitions the Italian Olympic Champion Stefano Baldini will start at the marathon. He will meet defending champion Jaouad Gharib (Morocco), the Spaniard Julio Rey and Toshinari Takaoka (Japan).

While at the 3,000m steeplechase nobody should be able to beat Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Qatar), there is no real favorite in the 800m and the 1500m. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa), Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) and Olympic Champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy (Russia) are the favorites at the 800m. At the 1500m the favorites are Rashid Ramzi (Bahrain), Daniel Komen (Kenya) and maybe also Alan Webb (USA).