Deena Kastor beating Radcliffe on the road to recovery

PAULA Radcliffe's injury comeback may be stalling but America's Deena Kastor has confirmed her appearance in next month's Bupa Great Edinburgh Run.
 

TALE OF TWO INJURIES: Paula Radcliffe's injury woes have been contrasted by Deena Kastor's recovery from the broken foot that left her hobbling out of last year's Olympic marathon in Beijing (Getty Images)

Kastor, who won bronze at the 2004 Olympic marathon, broke her foot in last year's Beijing marathon and was forced to pull out three miles into the race.

But she insists there have been no problems with her recovery - and has vowed to take on Radcliffe at London 2012 as the world record holder seeks to make it third time lucky in Olympic marathons.
 
"My training has been great over the past two months," she said. "Since Beijing went terribly wrong I guess you can bet I'll be around for another four years."
 
But Andy Caine, the Edinburgh event's elite athletes manager, believes Kastor will be tested over the 10,000m course.
 
"We're delighted to welcome Deena who is the Paula Radcliffe of American distance running to our meeting and I know she wouldn't be coming unless confident she can produce a good performance," he said.
 
"She's accepted a massive challenge, particularly with Jelena Prokopcuka a three-times Edinburgh champion returning this year and other top European stars also in the field.
 
"This is all about rehabilitation for her and I understand after a few more shorter races she'll be looking to return to marathon running in the autumn." 

Radcliffe confirmed over the Easter weekend that she was delaying a decision on her return to competitive racing following foot surgery to remove a troublesome bunion last month.

The 35-year old had already withdrawn from this month's Flora London Marathon after fracturing a toe during training. She insists she will not rush back in order to be fit for this summer's IAAF World Championships in Berlin.