Wami excited as Radcliffe's absence opens up marathon

Ethiopia's Gete Wami is among the favourites for the LondonMarathon title after Paula Radcliffe's withdrawal (AP)

Gete Wami has just completed the latest in a sequence of interviews ahead of Sunday's London Marathon, where she will attempt to better the runners-up position she earned in last year's race. As three more members of the Fourth Estate stand ready to quiz the Ethiopian who has established herself as one of the world's pre-eminent distance runners, Wami's husband and manager, Geteneh Tessema, offers a little plea to the media co-ordinator: "Not so long this time."

It is a protective stance that is strongly resonant of that adopted by another husband/ athlete, Gary Lough, in relation to his own housewife superstar, Paula Radcliffe, whose intention to seek a fourth London title this year ahead of the Beijing Olympics has been frustrated by a foot injury.

Over the years, Wami and Radcliffe have contested some of the finest races witnessed in women's endurance running. Wami's favourite memory, still, is that of the world 10,000-metre final in Seville in 1999 where she passed Radcliffe with just over a lap to go to claim gold. Radcliffe, who had led for almost 24 of the 25 laps, finished broken and medal-less on that occasion – but two years later it was her turn to outsprint Wami on the racecourse ground in Ostend to claim her first world cross country title.

The two women's careers have mirrored each other in a move up to the marathon, where Wami has amassed wins in Amsterdam, San Diego and Berlin, twice, as well as winning last year's World Marathon Majors series. If Wami has been successful, however, Radcliffe has been phenomenal, dominating the event and setting a towering world best of 2hr 15min 25sec.

Radcliffe's last competitive action in the 2007 New York marathon saw her re-establish her winning credentials after a two-year absence from the event as she finished ahead of Wami in Central Park. But now the home favourite is absent, the 2008 London race assumes a very different, and far less predictable aspect, as Wami readily acknowledges.

"When I heard Paula would not be running the London race this year I was extremely disappointed. As everyone knows, as soon as the race begins, Paula begins to push the pace. Now she is not going to be there it will make the race more exciting, but it will be challenging too."

Wami, habitually impassive while racing, is vivacity itself away from the competitive environment, her hair braided and coloured into what look like beads of gold. She smiles broadly at the suggestion that she must be tired of always talking about Paula, responding courteously: "It is everyone's right to ask about her, and it's my obligation to respond."

But asked if she thinks Radcliffe can return stronger than ever for the Beijing Olympics, Wami makes an ambiguous gesture with her palms and raises her eyebrows. "It's her own health that will decide," she says diplomatically. "I hope she will recover, and I wish her good luck."

It is clear that, for all their epic confrontations on track, grass and road, Wami does not see Radcliffe as the obvious Olympic favourite. "I don't see her as being separate from the rest," she says. "Every athlete who puts on shorts and turns up is an opponent. It will not just be between Paula and myself. Whoever prepares well and competes well on the day has a chance."

Interview over – but yet another journalist awaits. Gete more than happy. Geteneh less than thrilled.