Mark English won the Men’s 800m Final at the European Championships in Birmingham on Wednesday night.
Letterkenny man, English, went into the final as the race favourite, and received a boost prior to the race with the confirmation that Britain’s Max Burgin, one of his main rivals for the gold medal, got injured during the warm-up and was unable to participate.
English, the epitome of consistency in European Championship Finals, added the medal that was missing from his collection with his gold medal triumph at the Alexander Stadium as he became the first Irishman to win an individual gold at a European outdoor Championships.
🚨🇮🇪 HISTORY FOR IRELAND 🇮🇪 🚨
The commentary 🔥 🤩🙌🏼 🔥
🥇 Mark English 🇮🇪 wins the men’s 800m final in Birmingham in 1:45.26s.
For the first time in European Championship history, Ireland win a men’s individual GOLD medal!!
pic.twitter.com/lasX7a5SZS— SprintForge (@Tweeterfinger1) August 13, 2026
Roared on by the large number of Irish supporters in the crowd, the Finn Valley AC athlete, who set a new championship record in winning his semi-final earlier this week, always looked comfortable in the final, and claimed the victory in 1:45.26.
Most decorated Irish athlete in European Championships
The 33-year-old medical doctor was patient throughout the contest until he powered clear of Croatia’s Marino Bloudek, who won silver in 1:45.62, with Spaniard Mohamed Attaoui claiming the bronze in a time of 1:45.71.
Incredibly, Birmingham 2026 is the Donegal man’s 22nd major championship and his sixth European final across indoor and outdoor championships. He has now won a medal in each of those six finals, making him the country’s most medalled athlete in European track championships history.
English’s medals haul reads as follows: Bronze in 800m at 2014 European Championships, Silver in 800m at 2015 European Indoor Championships, Bronze in 800m at 2019 European Indoor Championships, Bronze in 800m at 2022 European Championships, Bronze in 800m at 2025 European Indoor Championships and Gold in 800m at 2016 European Championships.
Mark English reacts to becoming European champion.
“I really wanted gold. I’m so happy. Today I finally get to stand on top of that podium.”
An unbelievable success for the Donegal man. pic.twitter.com/3bBBXYVsPl
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 13, 2026
“I really wanted that gold medal”
Speaking to the media post-race, the new European 800m champion admitted:
“I don’t even know what it feels like, to be honest. I think I’m relieved more than anything. I really wanted that gold medal today and I’m just so thankful. There are so many people to thank – my coach, strength and conditioning, nutrition, physiology, medical. It takes a village.
“I didn’t want to push it too early. I remember the great Nick Symmonds saying years ago that you have to ‘spread the peanut butter evenly’ over 800 metres, so I tried to do that and save my energy for the last 100 metres. I’m just so happy.”
Thanking the many Irish fans in their stadium for their continued support, English said:
“The Irish support was amazing. I’m still saying it’s the best Irish support I’ve ever run in front of, just the sheer number of people. It was incredible.”
