Mark English moves into world-class territory as he lowers Irish 800m record
became the first Irish athlete to break the 1:44-barrier in the 800 metres as he clocked 1:43.92 to win the FBK Games in the Dutch city of Hengelo on Monday evening.
At age 32, it's shaping up to be the season of his life as English once again displayed all his racing experience to take the win on the latest stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
His 1:43.92 improved his previous best of 1:44.34, set when winning the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland last Friday week. Last summer, he'd improved the Irish record to 1:44.53, and is now running in properly world-class 800m territory.
Sitting in third coming into the homestretch, a few metres down on Peter Sisk from Belgium and Yanis Meziane from France, English coolly kicked past them both in the last 50m. Meziane held on for second in 1:44.32, with Craig Payton from Australia given the same time in third. Sisk faded right back to seventh.
READ MORE
After pacemaker Simon Mohlosi took them to the bell in 49.20, a fast time was clearly on. English bided his time, however, the Donegal athlete keeping his finishing kick until it mattered most.
English won his fifth European medal back in March, taking bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, adding to his two outdoor medals, and another two indoors.
Over the winter English moved to Australian coach Justin Rinaldi, and continues to take a break from his medical career. He'd already run well inside the automatic qualifying standard for the Tokyo World Championships of 1:44.50, and in this form will certainly fancy his chances of making the final when those championships take place in September.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
16 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
How Donegal's defence can cope with David Clifford
There was a moment of levity during Jim McGuinness's press conference ahead of the All-Ireland final. The Donegal manager was asked when he knew that Finnbarr Roarty, the fresh-faced teenage defender who has been one of the revelations of this summer, was ready for senior inter-county football. 'I would say about a year ago I thought he might have been good enough, but I was a day out on my calculation!' McGuinness smiled, a reference to how he handed Roarty his senior debut in a McKenna Cup game, despite him still being a minor, which was against GAA rules and resulted in Donegal getting a slap on the wrists. But it did show how long the youngster, a clubmate of the manager in Naomh Conaill, has been on the radar. One of the big questions that surrounded Donegal ahead of this season was how McGuinness would adjust his team's defensive structure and shape to the new rules. While much of how they defend remains based on a system — and how they like to set up zonally just inside the arc — they have adapted it to the new game. Even with 11 v 11, he has trusted his team's shape. Finnbarr Roarty has been one of the revelations of this summer. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie 'That is probably the one thing that has surprised me about Donegal this season,' says Eamon McGee, the All-Ireland-winning corner-back in 2012. 'McGuinness came back last year and loved his defensive shape, and I wondered if he would remain true to that there or is he going more to a hybrid approach where he is getting out and putting the pressure on. 'But he's stayed true to that. I'm surprised that he's able to work it out, and they've been very brave, in fairness to Donegal, how they defended those zones and how they're leaving that third zone, nearly man-free. There's one man keeping an eye on it, but they're getting across so quick. From a defensive perspective, I'm surprised that they're able to manage it as well as they have.' McGuinness has been able to make it work because of the quality of defenders they have, and the speed at which they can move into a zone if they sense danger. Tyrone's decision to go man-on-man against Kerry resulted in David Clifford filling his boots on Padraig Hampsey, scoring 1-9 and probably leaving another couple of goals out on Croke Park. It was clear from early on that Hampsey was left too isolated, especially given how wide open his team were down the central channel where Joe O'Connor had a field day and roughly half of Kerry's 10 goalscoring opportunities originated. That is one area Kerry may find clogged upon Sunday, particularly if Caolan McGonagle returns to centre half-back. David Clifford has been in red-hot form for Kerry. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And while the Ulster champions are wedded to the zonal system, defenders are still required to win their individual battles. One-on-one defending still matters. Roarty's ability to strip the ball from an opponent — most clearly seen in dispossessing Meath's Keith Curtis in the semi-final to start the move that led to Ciaran Moore's goal — is reminiscent of Karl Lacey in his pomp, as both McGuinness and McGee have pointed out. 'He punches above his weight in many respects and doesn't fear anybody,' McGuinness said of Roarty. 'There's an innocence to that but a courageousness as well. He's a brilliant tackler. I can see him taking the ball off Aidan O'Shea in Roscommon that day, that's not an easy task. Karl Lacey in his pomp. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 'When he gets you in that grip, a bit like Karl Lacey, he can get the hand in and the hand out. It's clean and it's crisp and it's strong. He's fair. He's been brilliant, the Donegal people love him. They absolutely love him. When he gets a turnover now, I think it's as big a cheer as you're going to get for a point because he is so honest. ' McGee agreed with those sentiments. 'He is so good at sniffing danger and getting to the danger. His ability to rob a man reminds me of Lacey, who was like a boxer with quick hands and able to get the ball without getting the foul on. You watch Finbarr when he gets near the man. How many times we've seen it this summer, where Finbarr's getting the hand in, gets it away. 'He's brought so much to that defensive unit. And remember, Finbarr's coming from an era where he's been brought up in blanket defences, so a lot of those defensive skills were neglected, they weren't coached, it about getting everybody back, and the group, rather than the individual. For him to come out, and in the manner that he has, it's a testament to his club and his coaches and to himself.' Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football and asked to limit the damage that Clifford does in the final. There has been some speculation that Donegal may remain true to their zonal system elsewhere and McCole will be the only one tasked with a specific man-marking role, although the manner in which Ryan McHugh curtailed Rory Grugan's influence in the Ulster final suggests he may be the player to tag Paudie Clifford. Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football. Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes But all eyes will be on McCole and how he handles Clifford. In his understated way, the Mountcharles native has grown into arguably the most consistent full-back in the country over the past couple of years and his ability to read the game and sense danger are two of his most impressive attributes, both of which he will need in spades on Sunday. His policing of Matthew Costello in the semi-final underlined his ability. 'McCole has been tasked with the danger man in every game, and he keeps an eye on his man while reading the game,' McGee says. 'If you look at the players who are dubbed man-markers most of them aren't able to do that, they are just focused on their direct opponent. But McCole is able to read the game, he's always aware of where his man is and when to stand off. He's hands-on at times, but he doesn't bring any of the sledging or verbals nonsense.' McGuinness has re-designed parts of his defensive shape to fit into the new game, but he still trusts his players in their individual battle. McCole has the hardest job of all on Sunday, but if his teammates sense trouble, their system means they can move at speed to help — and how they try to nullify the Kerry threats is just one of the reasons Sunday's game is so intriguing.
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Kerry vs Donegal: Start time, FREE live stream, TV channel for huge GAA All-Ireland football final
ALL eyes will be on Croke Park once again THIS SUNDAY as Kerry face Donegal in a mouthwatering GAA All-Ireland football final! Kerry are the most successful Gaelic football team in the 2 Kerry are hoping to secure a mammoth 39th title Credit: Sportsfile 2 While Donegal look to clinch their first football triumph since 2012 Credit: Sportsfile And the Irish giants are appearing in their third final in four years after beating Tyrone 1-20 to 0-17 in a thrilling semi-final clash. But you could argue that opponents Donegal will be hungrier to win the championship, as their only two title wins were way back in 1992 and 2012. Furthermore, Jim McGuinness' side should have the wind in their sails following a stunning 3-26 to 0-15 semis triumph over Meath. However, Joe Brolly believes Donegal Read more on GAA football When is the GAA All-Ireland football final? The GAA All-Ireland football final between Kerry and Donegal will take place on Saturday, July 27. It is scheduled to get underway at 3.30pm BST / 10.30am ET. Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland is the chosen venue for this iconic match and it can host a whopping 82,300 fans. Armagh won their second title, with a 1–11 to 0–13 win against Galway in the 2024 final. How to watch the GAA All-Ireland football final for FREE The GAA All-Ireland football final will be broadcast LIVE on BBC Two Northern Ireland. Fans can stream the entire action for FREE on BBC iPlayer. It will also be shown on RTE One - instead of the usual RTE Two - in Ireland because of the Women's Euro 2025 final between England and Spain. Coverage is expected to get underway from 2:15pm BST - one hour and 15 minutes before the throw-in. Fans in the US can watch the match through the GAA+ stream or website. Alternatively, SunSport will have coverage of the entire action through our live blog. Who will be the referee? The GAA has announced that Brendan Cawley will officiate this year's All-Ireland football final between Kerry and Donegal. It'll be the Kildare native's first time refereeing Gaelic football's showpiece occasion. Most read in GAA Football The Sarsfields clubman has been on the inter-county officiating circuit since 2019 and is a widely respected figure across the game. His line umpires on the day will be Monaghan's Martin McNally and David Coldrick of Meath, with McNally also set to serve as the standby referee. What kits will be worn? Kerry are set to wear their alternative blue kit in order to avoid a colour clash in this year's All-Ireland football final. Common sense seemed to be ignored for Donegal's semi-final triumph over Meath when both teams lined out in their traditional green and yellow colours. It is the referee's call whether a colour clash is significant enough that one or both of the teams is compelled to wear one of their alternative strips. Ultimately, Paul Faloon did not deem that a necessary step to take. And in fairness many viewers expressed that they had little to no issue distinguishing Donegal players from Kerry counterparts. But it was a problem for some portions of the TV as well as Croke Park audience.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tipp star had same bizarre preparation for All-Ireland final as World Cup winner
Tipperary goalkeeper Rhys Shelly has revealed the unique preparation he had for the All-Ireland final. Shelly, 24, was an integral part of a Tipp team that defied expectations to go all the way to the final this year and beat hot favourites Cork to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The Moycarkey–Borris clubman is still on cloud nine and doesn't intend on coming down anytime soon. He told Tipp FM: "It's still hard to believe that we do have it [Liam MacCarthy], to be honest. "Talking over there, I said the homecoming will help it settle in. It means everything. "Someone said it to me, doing all the walks beforehand and time it cut to me, I was just smiling. "Just enjoy no point getting too bogged down in things - it's hurling. We're amateurs at the end of the day. If you don't enjoy it, there's no point playing it. "Just enjoying every minute of it." Shelly was understandably nervous ahead of the biggest match of his career last weekend. But the goalkeeper seemingly took inspiration from Italian football great Andrea Pirlo. "The day before is probably the worst for me, the waiting around," Shelly said. "I was playing Ultimate Team on FIFA, the head was kind of gone! I don't know if it was good prep..." Midfield maestro Pirlo revealed in his autobiography that he spent the afternoon playing video games before playing the 2006 World Cup final. Pirlo said: "I spent the afternoon of Sunday, 9 July 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup."
