Women's marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe on Tuesday "categorically" denied doping allegations after admitting some of her blood tests have been rated as suspicious.
The Englishwoman has been aware for some months that her test results are on a list leaked from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), with her numbers raising the question of whether she could be guilty of blood doping.
But Radcliffe and her lawyers have made every attempt to protect her reputation, only breaking her silence in a statement on Tuesday after a comments made under parliamentary privilege during a Culture, Media and Sport Committee meeting to discuss the recent allegations of widespread doping in athletics.
"I categorically deny that I have resorted to cheating in any form whatsoever at any time in my career, and am devastated that my name has even been linked to these wide-ranging accusations. I have campaigned long and hard throughout my career for a clean sport," the 41-year-old was quoted as saying by dailymail.co.uk.
"I have publicly condemned cheats and those who aid them. These accusations threaten to undermine all I have stood and competed for, as well as my hard earned reputation. By linking me to allegations of cheating, damage done to my name and reputation can never be fully repaired, no matter how untrue I know them to be," the 2005 world champion added.
"Whilst I have the greatest of respect for anyone responsibly trying to uncover cheating in sport, and of course for Parliament itself, it is profoundly disappointing that the cloak of Parliamentary privilege has been used to effectively implicate me, tarnishing my reputation, with full knowledge that I have no recourse against anyone for repeating what has been said at the Committee Hearing."
Radcliffe set the 2:15:25 hours world record in 2003 London Marathon.
