Mark English (athlete)

Mark English
Mark English, 2022 in Munich
Personal information
NationalityIrish
Born (1993-03-18) 18 March 1993
Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event
800 m
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • 800 m (outdoor): 1:42.97 (2026)
  • 800 m (indoor): 1:44.23 (2026) NR
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ireland
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 Birmingham800 m
Bronze medal – third place2014 Zürich800 m
Bronze medal – third place2022 Munich800 m
European Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place2015 Prague800 m
Bronze medal – third place2019 Glasgow800 m
Bronze medal – third place2025 Apeldoorn800 m
European Team Championships
Silver medal – second place2019 Sandnes (First League)800 m
Gold medal – first place2017 Vaasa (First League)800 m
Silver medal – second place2015 Heraklion (First League)800 m
Gold medal – first place2014 Tallinn (First League)800 m

Mark English (born 18 March 1993) is an Irish middle-distance runner. He is the Irish national record holder over 800 metres indoors[1] and the 2026 European Champion in 800 metres, the first Irish male athlete to win an individual gold medal in the history of the Championships.[2][3]

Early life

English's home town is Letterkenny in County Donegal. He attended secondary school at St Eunan's College.[4] He only made the switch to athletics during his Transition Year, having previously played Gaelic football for Letterkenny Gaels at under-age level.[5] While a member of Letterkenny Athletic Club in his teens, he tested himself against the Gaelic footballer Caolan Ward.[6]

English studied medicine at University College Dublin (UCD), where his classmates included Dublin's multiple All-Ireland winning Gaelic footballer Jack McCaffrey—considered that sport's quickest player. English has issued a challenge to McCaffrey to take him on over 100 metres.[7] After qualifying as a doctor in 2019, he initially intended to step aside from medical practice in order to focus on athletics full-time, but when the 2020 Olympics were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he took the opportunity to complete his 12-month medical internship.[8]

Career

At the 2014 European Athletics Championships, English won a bronze medal in the 800 metres event.[9][10] On 8 March at the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague, English won a silver medal.[11][12]

In 2014, English finished 2nd at the Adidas Grand Prix as part of the 2014 IAAF Diamond League.[13] English finished 4th at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup, representing Team Europe.[14]

In 2015, he finished 9th at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, China.[15]

He represented Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[16] Later that year, English ran the 2nd quickest of all-time for 500m at the Great CityGames, finishing 2nd to 2016 Olympic 800m winner David Rudisha.[17]

On 3 March 2019, English won a bronze medal in the 800 metres at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[18] Following this, the RTÉ analyst Jerry Kiernan (himself a former athlete) described English as historically the country's "greatest talent" in middle-distance running.[19] Several years earlier, Kiernan had claimed that English was better than Michael Murphy — the All-Ireland winning football team captain long held to be his county's greatest ever athlete. Kiernan justified this remark with the comment: "[Murphy] is playing against lads from Monaghan. Mark English is running against Kenyans".[20]

In August 2019, English won the 800 m at the Birmingham 2019 Diamond League.[21]

In August 2022, he won a bronze medal in the 800 m at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich.[22]

In March 2025, he won a bronze medal over 800 metres at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[23][24] In May 2025, he ran a new 800 metres national record of 1:44.34 at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz.[25]

In May 2026, he ran a meeting record of 1:43.85 to win on the Diamond League, moving from fifth to first in the final ten metres to catch Botswana's Kethobogile Haingura on the line at the 2026 Shanghai Diamond League.[26][27]

On 13 August 2026, English won the 800 metres at the European Championships in Birmingham, England, becoming the first Irish man to win an individual gold medal[28] in the history of the championships.[29][30]

Records achieved

800 m Outdoor

On the 29th of June 2021, Mark ran 1:44.71 to break David Matthews Irish record of 1:44.82, which had stood since 1995.[31]

On the 9th of June 2025, Mark was the first Irishman to ever break 1:44 in the 800 m running 1:43.92, which he followed up with two more sub 1.44s and another national record of 1:43.37 on the 12th of August 2025.[32]

800 m Indoor

On the 2nd of February 2014 Mark ran 1:46.82 to break Daniel Caulfield's Irish record of 1:47.21 which had stood since 2001.[33]

Mark is still the current Irish Indoor record holder with his time of 1:44.23 set the 3rd of February 2026.[34] Holding the record for over 12 years now. This also placed him as the 11th fastest athlete in history, and 6th fastest ever in Europe.

600 m Indoor

Mark broke his own 600 m Indoor Irish record with a time of 1:15:80 on the 15th of January 2026, the first Irish man to break 1:16 in the event.[35]

Other work

English has been active in encouraging people to read more books.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "Mark English". IAAF. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Watch: Golden boy English picks up European medal in Birmingham". Donegal Live. 14 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Tom Barr and Christopher O'Donnell had previously won mixed 4 x 400 relay gold in 2024.
  4. ↑ "Mark English is the pride of Letterkenny". Highland Radio. 19 August 2014.
  5. ↑ McNulty, Chris (12 February 2016). "Mark English: Youngsters shouldn't 'specialise' in sport too early". Archived from the original on 28 February 2016.
  6. ↑ O'Kane, Cahair (3 August 2019). "Commitment starting to pay off for Ward". The Irish News.
  7. ↑ "English challenges McCaffrey to race". Hogan Stand. 19 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Mark English: A doctor with time - and times - for the Olympics". 4 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Mark English wins 800m European bronze for Ireland". The Score. 15 August 2014. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Mark English wins bronze for Ireland". Irish Examiner. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "'I had to bide my time' - Mark English claims silver for Ireland in European 800m final". Irish Independent. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Mark English upgrades bronze to silver at European Indoor Championships". Irish Examiner. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "English takes second at New York Diamond League". RTE.ie. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "Mark English Places Fourth in Marrakech |". Athletics Ireland. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "800m Metres Men". IAAF. 23 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Rio 2016: Mark English smooth and composed on debut". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  17. ↑ admin (11 September 2016). "Mark English finishes 2nd to Rudisha in Newcastle". Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Bronze medal for Ireland as Mark English grabs third in European Indoor 800m final". The 42. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  19. ↑ McNulty, Chris (6 March 2019). "Jerry Kiernan says Mark English is the 'greatest ever' talent in Irish middle-distance running". Archived from the original on 7 May 2019.
  20. ↑ "Forget GAA, English is greatest sportsman in Donegal - Kiernan". 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019.
  21. ↑ "English storms to 800m gold at Diamond League". rte.ie. 18 August 2019.
  22. ↑ "How Mark English plotted his brilliant bronze in the European 800m final". The 42. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  23. ↑ Crumley, Euan (9 March 2025). "Netherlands come out on top in Apeldoorn". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  24. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (9 March 2025). "Five gold medals! Super Sunday as Dutch close Apeldoorn 2025 with glorious finale". European Athletics. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  25. ↑ "Werro runs Swiss 800m record of 1:57.25 in Bydgoszcz". World Athletics. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  26. ↑ "Schilder breaks Diamond League record with 21.09m in Shanghai". World Athletics. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  27. ↑ "SHERICKA JACKSON LAYS DOWN MARKER WITH 200M WIN IN SHANGHAI". Athletics Weekly. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  28. ↑ Thomas Barr and Christopher O'Donnell won European gold in 2024, but as part of the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay team.
  29. ↑ "Mark English makes history after Burgin's late withdrawal in Euro 800m". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "English makes history with European 800m gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  31. ↑ skylab (29 June 2021). "Mark English breaks 26 year old Irish 800m record". Athletics Ireland. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  32. ↑ rorycassidy (9 June 2025). "ENGLISH BREAKS OWN IRISH 800M RECORD ONCE AGAIN". Athletics Ireland. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  33. ↑ "English breaks indoor 800m record". RTE. 2 February 2014.
  34. ↑ rorycassidy (3 February 2026). "MARK ENGLISH BREAKS NATIONAL INDOOR 800M RECORD IN OSTRAVA". Athletics Ireland. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  35. ↑ rorycassidy (14 January 2026). "MARK ENGLISH LOWERS OWN IRISH INDOOR 600M RECORD IN LIGHTING SEASON OPENER". Athletics Ireland. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  36. ↑ "Donegal sporting stars encouraging students to read more books". Highland Radio. 9 April 2016.
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