|


|
|
08/12/26 12:44:00
Printable Page
08/12 12:40 CDT Irish runner Mark English breaks European championships record
in 800 meters
Irish runner Mark English breaks European championships record in 800 meters
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) --- Irish middle-distance runner Mark English broke a
longstanding European championships record in the 800 meters when he won his
semifinal heat on Wednesday.
English finished in 1 minute, 43.49 seconds to eclipse Olaf Beyer's
championship record of 1:43.84 set in 1978 in Prague.
"It is nice to have the record, for sure, and I felt really good doing it. But
there will be a lot of really good guys in the final tomorrow, a lot of really
talented runners, so I'll need to discuss tactics now after this," the
33-year-old English said as he looked ahead to Thursday's final.
Beyer, who represented East Germany, had upset British stars Steve Ovett and
Sebastian Coe for the title 48 years ago.
"I saw the record before the race and I thought it would probably be broken by
someone at these championships," said English, a two-time bronze medalist at
the European championships.
English gave a shoutout to the Irish fans at Alexander Stadium: "I heard them
before the race, I heard them during the race, I heard them after it. I think
close to 15 percent of tickets sold went to Irish fans so it's amazing to (be)
running in front of such a crowd."
Britain's Ben Pattison finished second in English's heat, crossing in 1:43.72.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
|