ATHLETICS

IT WAS a weekend to remember for Frank Baddick at the Aviva UK Indoor Athletics Championships in Sheffield.

The middle-distance runner from Combe Martin won his first senior national medal.

Baddick, a former North Devon AC member, set an indoor personal best of 3mins 46.88secs to take 1,500-metre bronze.

After his call-up for England, the result maintained an outstanding start to 2012 for the Loughborough-based athlete.

Baddick, who was representing Newham and Essex Beagles, said: "It was a very proud day for me and this has been a long time coming.

"It went more or less as planned. To come away with a medal, I couldn't have asked much more than that."

In Sunday's final, screened on Channel 4, he showed tactical maturity and made light of a knee injury that had disrupted training.

"I knew I had beaten every person in that race at some point before so it was best man on the day," said Baddick.

"It was slow to start with but I was a happy boy to cross the line with a new personal best."

Claire Linskill, of North Devon AC, was in action in the triple jump, finishing eighth with an effort of 12.22 metres.

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