A historic achievement marked the third day of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
The Irish athlete Mark English broke a 48-year-old record in the men's 800m during a dramatic semi-final at the “Alexander Stadium“.
The 33-year-old Donegal veteran showed perfect tactical maturity in the second semi-final corridor. English crossed the finish line with a result of 1:43.49 minutes, which not only secured the victory and a secure place in the final, but also wrote his name in golden letters in the annals of European sport.
The previous championship record dated back to 1978. Then the legendary representative of East Germany (GDR) Olaf Bayer set a time of 1:43.84 minutes. The Irishman managed to take down a full 35 hundredths of this iconic achievement, which has withstood dozens of generations of athletes.
“Everyone is raising the bar right now and if you don't do it too, you're just falling behind“, commented immediately after the run Briton Ben Pattison, who finished second in the series with 1:43.72 minutes. Together with him and his compatriot Max Burgin, English will argue for the European title in the grand final, scheduled for Thursday evening.
The sports analysts of Irish Times (irishtimes.com) notes that English is in the form of his life, having recorded the fastest runs of his career in the last few months. The huge Irish cheering in the stands in Birmingham erupted at the final sprint of their favorite, who skillfully waited until the last 100 meters to crush the competition.
The official European Athletics Facebook profile (facebook.com) also welcomed the new historic achievement with a video from the last meters of the distance, describing Mark English's performance as “sensational“. Athletics fans are already excitedly awaiting the final battle, where the Irishman enters as the main favorite for gold.