It's a perfect 10 as menacing Mark English wins Irish 800m title again

Mark English once again proved that he’s the top dog in Irish 800m running - claiming the 10th Irish outdoor title of his career in style.

The build-up to Sunday evening’s final at Morton Stadium, one of the highlights of the National Senior Championships, was dominated by talk of the showdown between English and Cian McPhillips.

However, Finn Valley AC’s English delivered a superb finish to retain his title. There felt something of message to the doubters in how English, fist clenched, crossed the line in front of a huge crowd in Santry.

English and McPhillips played a bit of cat and mouse over the opening lap-and-a-half. English began to make a move with around 150m to go and down the home straight he pushed the accelerator.

English, out of lane 3, won in 1:48.76 with McPhillips half-a-second behind in 1:49.26 and it’s a 19th Irish title overall for the 32-year-old doctor from Letterkenny.

English arrived at these Championships having won this title nine times and a late burst on the home straight to finish in 1:48.92 in his heat with McPhillips also winning his heat in 1:52.58.

This was only McPhillips’ second time in an Irish final, the Longford native going second to Harry Purcell in 2020 as the country eked its way out of the Covid-19 lockdown.

McPhillips hasn’t been active this year, though his only outdoor run until this weekend saw him clock an excellent 1:44.19 to win the Morton Games in July; a time that put him second to English on the all-time standings.

English, however, twice dipped below 1:44 this summer when running 1:43.92, a new Irish record, at Hengelo and following up with a 1:43.98 in Paris. 

Twice in the space of 11 days, English broke his Irish record with a 1:44.34 in Bydgoszcz preceding his Hengelo outing.

Two weeks ago in London, English placed seventh at a Diamond League meet and served something of a notice in outlining disappointment at a 1:44.07 attempt in a race loaded with some of the world’s leading 800m lights.

The pair had a memorable joust indoors at a Micro Meet in Athlone in February 2021, English nicking ahead of McPhillips on the line. It wasn’t as close here as English delivered a real message of his class.

Castlefin woman Hannah Murray, now running with UCD AC - where she is a scholarship student - took a gold in the mixed 4x400m relay. Murray, who ran with Finn Valley AC in her formative years, was part of the UCD AC quartet with Joe Doody, Debbie Lawal and Gregor Travers who won in 3:35.31.

Moments before English began his race, Finn Valley AC woman Bridget McDyer won bronze in the women’s weight for distance. 

McDyer threw a best of 6.35m to return to the national senior podium.

Read next: 'Really special': Lauren Callaghan wins Irish long jump title; hammer bronze for Gallen

Last year, McDyer set a new Donegal record of 6.64m to finish fifth in the event, but she took third here.

In the men’s long jump, Finn Valley AC’s Oisin Thompson was fifth, jumping to 6.73m. Thompson would have needed to go beyond 7m to be in the medal mix while his club-mate Declan Slevin, making his first senior championship appearance, jumped to 5.31m.