Mark English smashes Irish record in thriller with teen star McPhillips

The Longford youngster pushed English all the way

Mark English of Finn Valley AC, Donegal, right, dips for the line to win the Men's 800m, ahead of Cian McPhillips of Longford AC, left, who finished second, during day one of the Irish Life Health Elite Athlete Indoor Micro Meet at Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

It was the race that made it all worthwhile: a one-minute, 46-second exhibition from one star of Irish athletics and one potential great of the future.

Mark English and Cian McPhillips: nine years between them in age and, after four ferocious laps of racing at the Sport Ireland indoor arena in Abbotstown, just three hundredths of a second between them on the track. In the end, English hit the line in front by about the width of his adidas vest, his 1:46.10 smashing his previous Irish indoor 800m record of 1:46.82, which dated back to 2014.

On the first day of action at the Irish Life Health micro-meet, the race proved just reward for all those who’d worked for many weeks to make this happen, with so much patience, persistence and pestering required to allow a small cluster of Ireland’s elite athletes a competitive opportunity on home soil.

For English, who has been working at various Dublin hospitals over the past year, it was a remarkable start to the season. The 27-year-old Donegal athlete endured a poor 2020 campaign but appears revitalised having making the switch to train under coach Feidhlim Kelly of the Dublin Track Club.

Back in second place, it would be wrong to call McPhillips’ performance anything but a massive victory. The Longford 18-year-old produced one of the best ever indoor performances by an Irish teenager, his 1:46.13 taking a whopping two and a half seconds off English’s national indoor U20 and U23 records. His time is the fastest in the world indoors by an U20 athlete for more than five years, the sixth fastest indoor time in history by an U20 athlete, and the second fastest ever indoors by a European U20 – behind only 2004 Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia.

Having been taken to 400m by Kevin Woods in just under 52 seconds, McPhillips seized command on the third lap and showed English somewhere between little and no respect. But there’s a reason English hasn’t been beaten in a domestic race for several years and he hung tough in his slipstream, shooting by him with 100m to run. But when English turned for home his tank looked to be emptying and McPhillips came powering back to his shoulder, the two crossing the line in virtual unison.

“I had a really tough race, Cian is a great athlete,” said English. “I held on by the skin of my teeth. I’m delighted to get the win and to get the 1:46. I didn’t think Cian would come back at me but he’s the future of Irish athletics.” 

Both qualified for the European Indoors in Poland, now a little under two weeks away, as did third placer John Fitzsimons who clocked 1:47.80. English has twice won a medal at the event in the past and hopes are high he can now repeat that feat again.

“I’m happy with that, to go into the Europeans with an Irish record,” said English.

Elsewhere, Leon Reid produced the standout performance in the sprint events, the 26-year-old clocking 20.96 to take the men’s 200m ahead of Marcus Lawler (21.23).

“It was good,” said Reid. “My game plan was to catch Marcus in the first two steps but he went off like a rocket. On the top bend I was thinking, ‘this is for the Olympics,’ and I was able to come off the bend and really lift my knees and go.” 

Both Reid and Lawler are comfortably within the 200m qualification cut-off for the Tokyo Games based off their world ranking, and both will be back in action on Sunday in the 60m with both looking to dip below the European Indoor qualifying time of 6.74.

John Travers secured his place at the European Indoors with an impressive win in the men’s 3000m, kicking clear of Darragh McElhinney to win in 7:50.40, with McElhinney also smashing his personal best in second with 7:50.80. Conor Bradley did likewise in third with 7:53.70 ahead of Hiko Tonosa who clocked 7:53.79.

Sarah Lavin of Emerald AC was an impressive winner of the 60m hurdles, taking victory over multi-event specialist Kate O’Connor in both series, clocking 8.20 and 8.22, with O’Connor clocking 8.59 and 8.57. Lavin will next compete at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Madrid on Wednesday before the European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland the following week.

National champion Gerard O’Donnell was beaten by Matthew Behan in the first series of the men’s 60m hurdles, 8.00 to 8.07, but he reversed those placings an hour later, taking victory in 7.95 to Behan’s 7.99.

Ellie Hartnett took the women’s 1500m in 4:35.27 ahead of Paralympian Greta Streimikyte (4:42.61). Sarah McCarthy took the women’s 200m in 24.68. Sommer Lecky was best in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.75m while David Cussen took the men’s high jump with 2.10m. Michaela Walsh was best in the women’s shot put with 15.17m while James Kelly took the men’s shot put with 16.72m.

The action continues tomorrow, with action getting under way at 11:40m as Phil Healy opens her season in the 400m. The entire event will be live streamed on Athletics Ireland’s YouTube channel.