Paula Radcliffe's husband wants WADA backing

Gary Lough wants WADA to back his wife Paula Radcliffe

Paula Radcliffe's husband and coach Gary Lough has said WADA, the World Anti Doping Agency, must "protect clean athletes" after his wife categorically denied cheating claims, reported BBC Sport. The 41-year-old British running icon has already defended three 'abnormal' blood results after her data was made public.

Radcliffe, who holds the marathon world record, said she has been "almost abused" by calls for her to release her blood data, following the Sunday Times' report of doping in athletics.

"I am probably not happy with how WADA have handled this situation," Lough told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I think this is a special circumstance and want them to come out and say this case is under review and there is no case to answer.

"That would definitely help us - that would be the only outcome of the investigation."

Jesse Norman, a member of British Parliament, suggested at a parliamentary select committee on Tuesday that London Marathon winners and medallists and "potentially British athletes" were under suspicion of blood doping.

Radcliffe was reluctant at first to come out and defend herself because she wasn’t actually named in the Sunday Times' investigation last month.

However, when Jesse Norman hinted that Radcliffe was the British athlete in question in Parliament earlier this week, she was forced to come out and defend herself.

Radcliffe has not specifically named, but she issued a statement saying she had been "effectively implicated".

Asked if Radcliffe should have come out earlier defended herself against rumours, Lough said it was "the last thing they wanted to be associated with" and that they "did not know what they were dealing with".

"It took everything to persuade her not to do it because her natural inclination is to shout from the rooftops, 'I have done nothing wrong, I have got nothing to hide'," said Lough. "She was going to take it upon herself to stand up for the sport.

"Paula probably should have been a bit more selfish. Something to do with doping goes to the heart of what she's about. You couldn't say anything worse in this world to her Lough said during the interview. She would do anything to defend herself and it is so hard not to do anything publicly. Now that she can, this will be cleared properly."

Any score of above 103 recorded by a female athlete can trigger investigation, but Radcliffe, who set her world best time in 2003, said the three tests analysed by experts employed by the Sunday Times lacked context.

Radcliffe's supposed 'abnormal' scores were 114.86, 109.86 and 109.3 in three blood test results, which were followed up and cleared by the IAAF when they were given in.

Paula also went on to say that the tests were invalid as they were taken right after a race and such tests are mostly inconclusive, "Two of those are invalid because they were taken immediately post-race and they would not be looked at for that reason.

"But if they are looked at by qualified experts with the full context, they would say that is totally explainable, that's not even suspicious.”

Lough went on to add that Paula does ask herself why she is stuck in this muck and wants it to end as soon as possible, "What has been more stressful is the whispers, the finger pointing and the innuendo that she has had to deal with in the lead-up to this, when you know you have done nothing wrong but are in no position to do anything about it," he said.

Paula Radcliffe has won the London Marathon and the New York Marathon thrice. She is also the Full Marathon World record holder with a time of 2:15:25

Why Paula Radcliffe feels she has to come forward and 'categorically deny' cheating http://t.co/D13lNZjFyk pic.twitter.com/4HoCyWgafc

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 8, 2015

Paula Radcliffe should be publicly backed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, says her husband. http://t.co/iXOjX5vyk3 pic.twitter.com/USTM8dNu8Z

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 11, 2015