Radcliffe returns to face top London field

(CNN) -- World record holder Paula Radcliffe will return to run in next year's London marathon on April 26 when she faces five of the first six finishers at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Radcliffe suffered Olympic heartbreak again as she struggled to 23rd after an inadequate preparation but bounced back to win the New York marathon last month.

The British star headlines a stellar field headed by gold medalist Constantina Dita of Romania, Kenyan Catherine Ndereba and Chinese star Zhou Chunxiu -- the first three across the line in Beijing.

Radcliffe's news came on the day the British government agreed to cover more than a third of a funding shortfall for the country's Olympic sports at the 2012 London Games.

The move clears the way for the British Olympic Association to pursue its target of finishing fourth in the medals table, matching its performance at the Beijing Games.

Government culture secretary Andy Burnham offered British sports $43.4 million, reducing the deficit to $74.8 million. Officials say the shortfall was caused by the global financial crisis.

Sports with slim medal hopes will face funding cuts, which will be announced Wednesday. Volleyball, basketball and handball are most vulnerable because of the cost of team sports.

In a sign of the financial pressures on the Olympics, leading sponsors of the 2012 Games met with UK prime minister Gordon Brown on Tuesday.

Brown and Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organizing committee, were among those to speak at the first meeting of the so-called "Chairman's Club."

"In these challenging times, we all need to look at creative ways in which we can make the most of these partnerships," Coe said.

The news comes after The Times of London reported Tuesday that the government ignored a 2002 report that the Olympics would not bring any economic benefit to Britain -- even before the downturn.

"We concluded that countries should host the Olympics only for reasons of national celebration because the economic rationale is weak," John Clark, the report's chief author, told the paper.

The world marathon record holder also faces the defending champion Irina Mikitenko of Germany, who missed the Olympics through injury but is the reigning world marathon majors series champion.

Meanwhile Radcliffe, 34, is determined to emulate her heroine Ingrid Kristiansen, the Norwegian who won the London event four times between 1984 and 1988.

"It's fantastic to be back," Radcliffe told Press Association on Tuesday.

"I've missed the last three years through injuries and it was frustrating not to be fully fit for the Olympic Games this summer. But after my victory in New York last month, I'm hungry to win back my ... title and join Ingrid in the record books."

World marathon record holder Radcliffe also faces the defending champion Irina Mikitenko of Germany, who missed the Olympics through injury but is the reigning world marathon majors series champion.

Radcliffe has set world records in all three of her previous appearances on the London course and her time of two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds five years ago is still three minutes quicker than any other woman has achieved.

Her long term goal is to finally secure Olympic gold on the same London roads in 2012 to cap a remarkable career.

"With nine women who have run quicker than 2:22, this is without doubt the best field we've ever assembled for the women's race," said race director David Bedford.

In other athletics news on Tuesday, world hurdles record holder Liu Xiang, who like Radcliffe suffered massive disappointment in Beijing, is to be operated on by the doctor of NBA side Houston Rockets.

Tom Clanton, who performed surgery on Rockets center Yao Ming earlier this year, is expected to operate on Liu's Achilles' injury within weeks in the United States, the China Athletic Association announced.

Liu was forced to pull out just before the heats of the 110 meters hurdles to the massive disappointment of the home crowd.