Kelly Sotherton will postpone retirement to have one more attempt at a global heptathlon title after finishing a disappointing fifth in the Olympics in Beijing.

Birchfield Harrier Sotherton won bronze in Athens four years ago and came into the event as one of the favourites in the absence of reigning champion Carolina Kluft.

But the 31-year-old never found top form after a year disrupted by illness and injury and ended up 102 points off a bronze medal and 216 adrift of new champion Nataliia Dobrynska of the Ukraine.

Dobrynska won by 33 points from compatriot Lyudmila Blonska, who served a two-year ban after testing positive for steroids in 2003, with American Hyleas Fountain claiming bronze a further 81 points adrift.

Asked if this would be her last heptathlon, the Commonwealth champion said: "It won't be now.

"If I had won gold or silver I would have quit but I'll do another year. I want to at least win the World Championship."

Sotherton went into the second day of competition in third place but could only record a best of 6.33 metres in the long jump, traditionally one of her strongest events.

That dropped her down to fifth and although she shrugged off a foul in the opening round to record a best of 37.66 metres in the javelin - a welcome improvement from the 28.59m she managed in the World Championships last year - the damage had been done.

A new personal best of two minutes 7.34 seconds in the 800m was not enough to improve her position and she added: "I'm very disappointed because I know if I'd have done a decent long jump I would have won a medal. I did a great 800m and three or four PB's but was still only fifth.

"I gave it my all, fifth in the Olympics is not a medal but at the end of the day it's still a good performance. The long jump and shot let me down, there were a lot of tears after the long jump because I knew it had gone, but I was determined and gritty and fought back and I'm pleased with the way I finished."

Sotherton has made no secret of her displeasure at Blonska's return to competition after her drugs ban, and admitted she was "bitter" at seeing the Ukrainian collect a silver medal.

"I'm not happy that she's still competing against me," she added. "We (Britain) don't bring anybody who has cheated previously so why should any other country. That needs to change.

"The biggest penalty you should get for taking drugs is not competing at the Olympics."