English makes history with European 800m gold

Mark English has made history by becoming the first Irish athlete to win a gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in the 800m race in Birmingham. English surged past Croatian runner Marino Bloudek in the final 100 meters to cross the line first, clocking in at 1 minute 45.26 seconds. Ben Pattison finished in sixth place for Britain, while Max Burgin had to withdraw from the final due to an injury sustained during the warm-up.

This victory marks English's first European gold medal, following bronze wins in Zurich in 2014 and Munich in 2022. The Donegal runner, a qualified doctor, had been the favorite to win gold after breaking Olaf Beyer's 48-year European record in his semi-final. The gold for Ireland was the first medal of the Championships, with Rhasidat Adeleke claiming women's 200m silver in the subsequent race.

Adeleke's silver marks her fourth European medal, following a silver in the 400m in Rome in 2021 and a gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and women's relay at the same Championships. Hunt of Britain secured the bronze in the women's 200m.