Shireen Bailey ( Hassan; born 27 September 1959) is an English former

middle distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who competed in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

and the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

. She represented Great Britain in both events at the 1988 Olympic Games in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. In 1983, she became only the second British woman in history to run the 800 metres in under two minutes. She is also a former English national record holder at the distance.

Career

Bailey was born in Kensington,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. She was a member of the Bromley Athletics Club (now Blackheath and Bromley). She competed at the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, finishing fifth in the final of the 800 metres in 2:02.41. In 1983, Bailey was the UK's top ranked woman at 800 metres. In May, she won the UK Championships title in 2:01.36, ahead of Lorraine Baker. In July, she won the

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the officia ...

title in 2:00.58, ahead of Anne Purvis and Christina Boxer. Then on 23 August in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, she ran a personal best of 1:59.54. This made her only the second British woman in history to run under the two-minute barrier for 800 metres. The first being Christina Boxer in 1979. Bailey was the UK's second fastest 800m woman for the next four seasons, behind Lorraine Baker (1984/86) and Kirsty Wade (1985/87). In 1984, her season's best was 2:00.44, but she failed to earn selection for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. She returned to sub two-minute form in 1985, improving her personal best to 1:59.36. After a slow start to the 1986 season, missing out on Commonwealth Games selection, she improved in the second half of the season, earning selection for the

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

in Stuttgart, where she ran 2:00.41 in the heats. In the semi-final, she ran 2:00.50 to narrowly miss the final. She achieved her season's best in September, running 1:59.85. In 1987, Bailey had another slow start to the season and missed World Championships selection. She once again found her best form in September. On 11 September, she finished third in the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Brussels, behind Ana Quirot and Slobadanka Colovic. Then on 15 September in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , , , ) ; it, Losanna; rm, Losanna. is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and fac ...

, she reached her peak at 800 metres, running 1:58.97, to set a new English national record. The previous mark was Christina Boxer's 1:59.05 from 1979. The UK record was held by the Scottish born Welsh athlete Kirsty Wade, with 1:57.42. Bailey's record would stand for almost three years, until Diane Edwards ran 1:58.65 in 1990. At the 1988 AAAs Championships, incorporating the Olympic Trials, Bailey earned selection at both 800 metres and 1500 metres. With the first two in each event guaranteed a place on the team, she secured her place by finishing second to Kirsty Wade in the 800 metres in 2:02.49, before going on to finish second to Christina Cahill (Boxer) in the 1500 metres in 4:09.20. At the Olympic Games in Seoul,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

she reached the 800 m semi-finals, running 1:59.94, before reaching the final of the 1500 metres, running a lifetime best of 4:02.32 for seventh, ahead of Mary Slaney and

Doina Melinte Doina Ofelia Melinte (; née Beșliu on 27 December 1956) is a retired Romanian middle-distance runner. She competed at four Olympics (1980–92), and won a gold medal in the 800 metres and a silver medal in the 1500 metres in 1984. She won the ...

, who were eighth and ninth respectively. The Seoul Olympics, would prove to be the highlight of Bailey's career. She did earn selection for the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1990 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Parti ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, where she finished eighth in the 1500 metres final in 4:13.31. As of 2018, Bailey's 800 metres best of 1.58.97, ranks 11th on the UK all-time list. Her 1500 metres best of 4:02.32, ranks her 16th. She also ranks fifth on the UK all-time list at 1000 metres with 2:35.32.

Competition record

Personal bests

*600 metres — 1:26.8 (1985) *800 metres — 1:58.97 (1987) *1000 metres — 2:35.32 (1986) *1500 metres — 4:02.32 (1988) *Mile — 4:31.45 (1989)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Shireen 1959 births Living people English female middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games competitors for England Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Athletes from London Sportspeople from Kensington English people of Asian descent Sportspeople from Croydon Competitors at the 1984 Friendship Games