Baddeley wins his Dream race

Jun 11 2008 by Philip Kirkbride, Birkenhead News

ANDY Baddeley raced to a new career high on Friday night as he claimed victory in the ‘Dream Mile’ race in Oslo.

In the second of IAAF’s Golden League meet series of the season, 25-year-old Baddeley from Upton, stormed to first place in 3 mins 49.38 seconds - a new personal best by two seconds.

Baddeley becomes the first Britain to win the prestigious ‘Dream Mile’ race since Peter Elliot in 1991 and registers the sixth fastest UK time over the distance.

Andy said: “I am proud that I did this here at the Bislett Games and for me it was a real ‘Dream Mile’.

“With one lap to go I felt very strong and said to myself ‘This could be my day’. When it was 150m to go I was sure.”

For Andy, who now runs for Harrow, the race hadn’t started at record breaking speed with the pacemakers taking the field round the first lap in 53.1 seconds.

But Andy stepped up and raced through the 1500m stage in 3.34.36, a new PB, before taking the lead on the final bend.

The record breaking victory for the Wirral man now puts him alongside the great UK middle distance athletes of the 1970’s and 80s, when people like Steve Cram, Seb Coe and Steve Ovett dominated the sport.