Rhasidat Adeleke begins her women’s 200m campaign before Mark English races for the men’s 800m title on the final evening of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Adeleke will line up in the first women’s 200m semi final at 5.44pm Irish time, with the final scheduled for 7.49pm should she advance.
The Tallaght sprinter’s season began with promise when she lowered her own Irish indoor 300m record to 36.30 seconds in February.
Her outdoor campaign proved far more difficult. Adeleke opened with 22.86 over 200m in Texas in April, missing the European Championship qualifying standard by just one hundredth of a second.
Hamstring problems then disrupted her progress. Her long awaited return to the 400m came at the Prefontaine Classic in July, where she finished ninth in 52.26 seconds, more than three seconds outside her Irish record.
Adeleke subsequently withdrew from the Monaco Diamond League before returning to the 200m in Lucerne. She finished fourth in 23.07 before producing the performance she needed at the National Championships.
Running into a headwind in Santry, Adeleke won her first national outdoor 200m title in 22.80 seconds and secured her place at the European Championships in Birmingham.
Her season was transformed there. Adeleke won her semi final in 22.43 before lowering the Irish record to 22.28 in the final.
That earned her European silver behind Amy Hunt, while she edged Dina Asher Smith by one hundredth of a second.
Her only race since Birmingham came in Brescia at the end of August. Adeleke finished sixth in 22.85, some distance from the form that carried her onto the European podium.
That performance was not the immediate follow up she would have wanted, although it matched the European qualifying standard she had been chasing earlier in the summer. It will be interesting to see if another two weeks of training have brought her closer to her Birmingham form.
A Tough Semi Final Draw
Adeleke has been drawn in lane three alongside Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and world champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden.
Kayla White, Jenna Prandini, Fabienne Hoenke, Lavanya Williams and Liranyi Alonso complete the field.
Thomas, Jefferson Wooden and White have all broken 22 seconds this season. Adeleke’s 22.28 is the fourth fastest season’s best in the race, placing her directly on the qualification line on paper.
Only the first four athletes will advance, with no places available through fastest times. A performance close to her Irish record may be required.
Should Adeleke finish inside the first four, she will return for the final at 7.49pm.
English Arrives as Fastest Qualifier
Mark English will contest the men’s 800m final at 6.41pm after producing another superbly judged performance in Saturday’s semi final.
The Donegal athlete was fourth with 200m remaining before delivering his familiar late surge. He passed Francesco Pernici in the closing metres to win in 1:43.74, with Marco Arop third and Djamel Sedjati taking the final qualifying place.
English was also the fastest qualifier across the two semi finals, running 0.12 seconds quicker than opening race winner Brandon Miller.
It continues what has been the finest season of English’s career.
He began 2026 by lowering the Irish indoor 600m record to 1:15.80 before cutting his national indoor 800m record to 1:44.23 in Ostrava.
English then claimed his first Diamond League victory in Shanghai, winning in a meeting record of 1:43.85. He followed that by breaking the Irish 1000m record with 2:15.82 in Ostrava.
His fastest 800m came at the London Diamond League, where he finished second in 1:42.97. It was his first time breaking 1:43 and moved him to second on the Irish all time list.
The biggest moment arrived in Birmingham. English ran a championship record of 1:43.49 in his European semi final before producing another perfectly timed finish to win gold in 1:45.26.
That made him the first Irish man to win an individual outdoor European title.
English later skipped the Diamond League Final to concentrate on Budapest. That decision has already been rewarded with a semi final victory and the fastest qualifying time.
A Stacked 800m Final
English will face Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, along with Arop, Sedjati, Miller, Yanis Meziane, Eliott Crestan and Pernici.
Wanyonyi, Sedjati and Arop have all run inside 1:42 this season, while Miller has recorded 1:42.19.
English has already beaten Arop, Sedjati and Pernici in Budapest. His finishing speed and tactical judgement give him a genuine chance of being involved when the title is decided on the home straight.
World Athletics Ultimate Championship Day Three
⏰ 5.44pm - Rhasidat Adeleke - Women’s 200m - Semi Final 1
⏰ 6.41pm - Mark English - Men’s 800m - Final
⏰ 7.49pm - Rhasidat Adeleke - Women’s 200m: Final (Subject to Qualification)
📄 Start Lists
📺 Watch Live (Registration Required)
📺 TV Coverage: BBC One 5pm to 8pm
📊 Results
We wish Rhasidat Adeleke and Mark English the very best as they compete in Budapest this evening.
