London Marathon legend Paula Radcliffe is set to receive an OBE at Windsor Castle today (Tuesday), recognising her outstanding contribution to sport.
Ms Radcliffe, 52, will be honoured alongside broadcaster Cerys Matthews and DJ Carl Cox at the royal ceremony.
A three-time winner of the London Marathon, Ms Radcliffe held the women’s world marathon record of 2:15:25 for 16 years until it was broken in 2019.
Her long-distance achievements have included world, European, and Commonwealth medals in the 10,000m, 5,000m, and cross-country events. Ms Radcliffe is now known as a commentator.
Other honourees at the ceremony include broadcaster and musician Cerys Matthews, who will receive an OBE for services to music. Best known as a founding member and singer of the band Catatonia, the Cardiff-born artist already holds an MBE, awarded in 2014. She also hosts a weekly show on BBC Radio 6 Music.
DJ Carl Cox will also be made an OBE for services to music, marking a career in dance music that spans more than four decades. He began as a mobile DJ at 15 before moving into house and techno in his 20s after buying his first professional DJ decks with a £1,000 grant from The Prince’s Trust.
Mr Cox has since won 16 DJ Awards, five International Dance Music Awards, and an NME Award. He said: “I’ve always loved what I do. Getting the OBE, it was based on my work, which I still continue to do.”
“I’ve been able to touch people with my music for years and years and years, over the decades, flying the flag for a British man all over the world.”
London’s running calendar keeps growing, with a new half-marathon coming to south London in 2027.
