Mark English, 33, wins the European 800 m, Ireland's first individual men's title

Mark English won the men's 800 m at the European Championships in Birmingham on Thursday in 1:45.26. He is 33, was the oldest man in the final, works as a doctor, and is the first Irish man to win an individual European outdoor title.

It was a tactical race run in single file. English settled on the outside, was third at 200 m behind Croatia's Marino Bloudek and Spain's Mohamed Attaoui, and was still third at the bell. He moved up to second on the last lap and went past Bloudek inside the final 100 metres, pulling away down the straight. Bloudek took silver in 1:45.62 and Attaoui, the silver medallist in Rome two years ago, bronze in 1:45.71. David Barroso and Francesco Pernici were next in 1:45.75 and 1:45.77.

English has now run six European finals, indoors and out, and come away with a medal from every one: bronze in 2014 and 2022 outdoors, silver and two bronzes indoors. The gold takes him past Sonia O'Sullivan as Ireland's most decorated athlete at the European Championships. He told Athletics Ireland his plan was to "spread the peanut butter evenly" over the two laps.

Twelve years between a first bronze and a first gold. Patience is a tactic too.

Sources: Athletics Ireland; Irish Examiner; Marathon Handbook.