For the first time in her senior career, in 2003 Pavey started the season by running cross country races. As part of the Great Britain team in the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, she finished 40th. As the track season started, Pavey won the 3000 m at a meeting in Lille, and posted her two fastest 1500 m times. This prompted her to focus on the shorter distance at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, six years after last running 1500 m at a major championships. Pavey surpassed her 1997 performance by reaching the final. She was second with one lap remaining, but faded and finished tenth. Pavey was pushed by another athlete into lane three in the final straight and was passed by a number of athletes. As an athlete ranked in the top 12 in the world in both the 3000m and 1500m, Pavey was invited to compete in the IAAF World Athletics Final in Monaco. She finished fourth in the 1500 m in a personal best 4:01.79, and the following day finished third in the 3000 m. Pavey had continued to train as a 5000m runner in 2003 but ran a series of impressive 1500m races with 4:02.03 Rome, 4:03.91 Madrid and at the Paris World champs a slow tactical heat in 4:08.60, semi final of 4:03.78 and final of 4:03.03. She then won in Rieti with 4:04.46 before her final race of 4:01.79 in Monaco. In November Pavey achieved the first major cross country win of her career at the trials to determine the British team for the European Cross Country Championships. However, illness meant she had to withdraw from the championships.