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
Here’s another anomaly in the whole hurling relegation/promotion structure. Winners of the Christy Ring Cup have to play the bottom team in the Joe McDonagh in a play-off. Seems the only place where there’s automatic relegation is in the Leinster group. Why not use the same system everywhere, so either there are playoffs, or there’s not?
Incidentally, and no offence intended to the late Joe McDonagh, but I can’t help wondering why his name was given to the new second tier competition, thereby elevating him above Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard. McDonagh was a great GAA man all right, but is he really worthy of a place higher than those other two in history?
I hope this victory helps to popularise the game of Hurling in Kildare
@Noel Martin: Well to be honest the last one in 2014 didn’t, the county board need to be the ones to stand up and take note. There’s plenty of interest in Kildare for Hurling, a lot of great work going in at underage level in clubs. It needs the backing from the county board, their attitude towards the game is desperate.