Graphic: the gold rush

If there is any event at the Olympics that comes with a matching set of historical baggage, it is the 1,500 metres. This afternoon Andy Baddeley will try to put himself on a pedestal previously occupied by the holy trinity of Coe, Cram and Ovett. “I'm in the final, but then so are 11 other guys,” Baddeley, 26, said. “It's wide open.”

It is wide open because Hicham El Guerrouj, the champion in Athens, has retired and Bernard Lagat, the silver medal-winner, crashed out of a physical semi-final when push came to shove and he was not strong enough. Baddeley is the third-slowest in the field on paper, but his tactical acumen has developed in tandem with his speed this year, which started with a cross-country victory in Edinburgh and has taken in wins in Melbourne, Belgrade, Oslo and Annecy.

His personal best of 3min 34.36sec would have netted him gold in Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta and a bronze in Athens, but Baddeley is tired of the trawl through history. “I don't have to race Coe, Cram and Ovett,” he said.

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If the pace is modest, Baddeley's finishing speed may allow him to sneak into the medals and give Britain a much-needed boost. Coe has picked him as a possible medal-winner and certainly Baddeley will be disappointed if he does not surpass his ninth place at the World Championships last year and Michael East's sixth place in Athens.

The competition is still tough, with the likes of Augustine Choge and Asbel Kiprop, the Kenyan duo, to contend with, but like Coe, Ovett believes that Baddeley could spring a surprise. “Nobody thought Kelly Holmes would win in Athens,” Ovett said. With Christine Ohuruogu in the 400 metres final 40 minutes earlier, this may be the afternoon that makes or breaks the Games for British athletics.