Mark English made history at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, becoming the first Irish man to win a European Championships gold medal with victory in the 800 metres final. The 33-year-old three-time Olympian from Donegal clocked 1:45.26 to claim his sixth European track medal and first gold, finishing ahead of Croatia's Marino Bloudek in second and Spain's Mohamed Attaoui in third. David Barroso of Spain finished fourth in the final.
English's path to gold included a championship record of 1:43.49 in the semi-final, breaking the previous mark set by East Germany's Olaf Beyer in 1978. Great Britain's Mark Bergin withdrew just before the final.
Ireland also saw success elsewhere as Rhasidat Adeleke took silver in the 200-metre final with a national record time of 22.28 seconds. Sophie Becker qualified for the 400m semi-finals with a season-best 52.28, while Lauren Roy advanced from her 200m heat in 23.20 seconds. Spain's medal tally at the championships reached two after Attaoui's bronze followed Marta García's silver in the 5,000 metres.