Mark English wins European 800m bronze

Mark English is the European 800m bronze medalist.

The Finn Valley AC man finished third in 1:45.19 to land the fourth continental medal of his career.

Out of lane three, English showed his track craft and was rarely outside the top three around two laps of Munich’s iconic Olympiastadion.

From the get-go, the laser-eyed English signalled his intent and the Donegal ace, eight years after his first, is a European medalist again.

Mariano García of Spain won gold in a new personal best 1:44.85 with Great Britain’s Jake Wightman leaving with silver with a 1:44.91, a season’s best.

Just last month, English, who is coached by Feidhlim Kelly, had said: “I’d like some silverware this season. I’ve worked hard and I’d like to give back to everyone too.”

True to his word, English earned a place on the podium. English began his assault on Europe in fine fashion on Thursday morning when winning his heat in 1:47.54.

The 29-year-old showed real experience and control in his semi-final on Friday evening. English crossed the line in 1:46.66 to book a berth in the final.

Last month at the World Championships in Oregon, English clocked the fastest Championship 800m ever by an Irish athlete when running 1:44.76 - a time that was only 0.05 seconds off his own Irish record, set last summer when qualifying for the Olympic Games.

After showing well at the Worlds, where he was only two tenths of a second off a place in the final, English outlined his desire for Europe.

In 2014, English was the bronze medalist at these Championships in Zurich when finishing behind Adam Kszczot and Artur Kuciapski.

English also has a pair of indoor medals at European level, silver in 2015 and bronze in 2019.