Mark English produced the fastest 800 metres of his career to finish sixth on the final evening of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, while Rhasidat Adeleke narrowly missed out on the women’s 200 metres final.
English crossed the line in 1:42.78, improving his previous best by 0.19 seconds and moving to within 0.63 seconds of Cian McPhillips’ Irish record.
It was an exceptional performance from the Donegal athlete in one of the strongest 800 metres races assembled this season.
English Embraces Blistering Final Pace
English entered the final as the fastest qualifier after winning his semi final in 1:43.74 on Saturday evening.
There was little room for the patient approach which had carried him through that race, with the finalists attacking from the gun and turning the contest into a flat out test of speed.
English stayed in touch as Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, Canada’s Marco Arop and Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi drove the pace at the front.
Sedjati eventually claimed the title in 1:41.91, with Arop second in 1:42.28 and Wanyonyi third in 1:42.44.
English followed just 0.34 seconds behind Wanyonyi, crossing sixth in 1:42.78 and cutting a sizeable chunk from the 1:42.97 he ran at the London Diamond League in July.
“I ran a PB and you can never not be happy when you run a PB,” English said afterwards.
The time keeps English second on the Irish all time list and provides another landmark in the finest season of his career.
He began the year by lowering the Irish indoor records over 600 and 800 metres before claiming his first Diamond League victory in Shanghai. An Irish 1000 metres record followed, along with his first sub 1:43 performance in London.
English then made history at the European Championships in Birmingham, becoming the first Irish man to win an individual outdoor European title.
His sixth place in Budapest may not have brought one of the top three finishes, but a lifetime best against the leading 800 metres runners in the world was still a fine way to close his championship campaign.
Adeleke Falls Just Short After Late Charge
Earlier in the evening, Adeleke finished fifth in the opening women’s 200 metres semi final, recording 22.81 seconds with a following wind of 0.7 metres per second.
Only the first four athletes qualified for the final, with no fastest qualifier places available.
Drawn in lane three, Adeleke struggled through the opening half of the race and was seventh and last as the field came off the bend.
The Tallaght athlete recovered strongly over the closing 100 metres and began making ground, but Switzerland’s Fabienne Hoenke held on to fourth in 22.72.
Adeleke missed qualification by just 0.09 seconds.
Olympic champion Gabby Thomas won the race in 21.88, ahead of world champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden. Kayla White took third in 22.28, with Hoenke securing the final qualifying place.
Adeleke finished 10th across the two semi finals.
Her 22.81 was four hundredths quicker than the 22.85 she recorded in Brescia at the end of August, but some distance outside the Irish record of 22.28 which earned her European silver in Birmingham last month.
The result will be frustrating after the progress she made during the middle of the season. Hamstring problems had badly disrupted her outdoor campaign before she found her best form when it mattered at the European Championships.
Budapest did not bring the ending she wanted, but her Irish record and European silver remain significant achievements from a season in which consistent training and racing were often difficult to find.
English’s lifetime best provided the Irish highlight on the final evening, bringing Ireland’s involvement at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship to a close.
