MARK ENGLISH WAS run out of the qualification places in the home straight after making a bold bid in the 800m semi-finals.

The Donegal native delivered a major championship run earlier this week to clinch a place in Friday’s semis in the Stade de France.

English knew that he would need a top-two finish in his semi-final, or one of the two next-best times, to book his place in the Olympic final.

Off the back of a steady opening lap, he hit the front with 200m to race as he looked to steal a march on his rivals, but was chased down in the home straight and had to settle for sixth place in 1:45.97.

“It’s not the result that I wanted out there today,” a disappointed English said afterwards.

“I wanted to get through that heat. I went for the win in the semi, but it just wasn’t my day.

“My approach was to use my superior 400m speed to get out over the first 200m, and I think I did that; I think I was about third at 200m.

And then at 400m I think I was still third, and then at 600m I was first. I looked back statistically at what makes it through these rounds, and if you’re top three at 600m, you have a 70% probability of going through, so I just tried to do that as much as I could.

“I figured if I could get a jump on the likes of Pattison and Sedjati coming into that last 200m, that would be what I needed.

“But the wheels just came off over the last 50m. It possibly didn’t help that I strained my adductor in the warm-up as well, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse.

“It was tough, it was tough.

“I couldn’t have given it any more. Even in the warm-up I did everything, there’s nothing I would change about that either, and the approach.

“Maybe it’s just a build-up of fatigue, but I’ve given it everything. At this point all I can do is thank everybody who has given me support.”

Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati was first across the line in 1:45.08, while Tshepiso Masalela of Botswana took the second automatic qualification place in 1:45.33.

– Additional reporting by Sinéad O’Carroll