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Paula Radcliffe has won her battle to prevent her marathon world record being downgraded to "world's best" status.

In August, the International Association of Athletics Federations decided to recognise only times from single-sex events as world records.

Radcliffe, 37, broke the world record at the 2003 London Marathon with two male pacemakers.

However, athletics body IAAF has now ruled that existing records will continue to be recognised.

But, following an IAAF Competition Commission for women's world records for road events, new records will only be recognised and ratified if they come from single-sex races from the start of next year.

Radcliffe went to Monaco to lobby IAAF president Lamine Diack about the matter in October.

She had been adamant that her time of two hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds, which beat her previous world record by 1:53 mins, should still count.

The 2003 London Marathon was one of only two occasions when Radcliffe has run a marathon in a mixed field and she has always argued that she gained no advantage from the two male pacemakers she ran with.

IAAF council member Helmut Digel said: "The record will stay. Nobody will cancel the record of Paula. That is sure. Her record will never be diminished.

"It was not against old records at all. We realise that these performances were excellent performances."

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