Mark English has made history by becoming the first man to secure a gold medal for Ireland at the European Athletics Championships, triumphing in the 800m event held in Birmingham.

English surged into the lead within the final 100 metres, overtaking Croatia's Marino Bloudek to clinch victory with a time of 1:45.26. This milestone marks a significant achievement for English, who previously earned bronze medals in 2014 (Zurich) and 2022 (Munich).

Key highlights from the race include:

• Ben Patterson finished in sixth place.
• Max Burgin, a teammate from Great Britain, was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained during warm-up.

The night truly belonged to English, who was the favorite for gold after breaking Olaf Beyer's longstanding 48-year European record in the semi-finals. Although he did not initially lead the final, he displayed remarkable determination, falling to his knees in joy as he crossed the finish line.

The gold medal represents the first medal for Ireland at this Championship, further enhancing English's legacy as a distinguished athlete. Bloudek secured the silver medal, while Spain's Mohamed Attaoui took home the bronze.

Reflecting on his performance, Patterson expressed disappointment:

I'm gutted. It was a great opportunity today to add to my medal collection. I gave myself too much work to do, and the legs weren't there. I'm just disappointed.