Mark English put in a commanding performance to win his heat and book a place in Friday night’s semi-finals at the European Athletics Championships in Munich.
The 2014 European bronze medallist settled in quickly, tucking in behind early leader Benjamin Robert of France on the inside.
The Letterkenny man maintained his tempo and when Robert left a slight opening shortly after taking the bell, the seven-time national champion saw his opportunity to ease past and keep his nose in front to the line to clock a winning time of 1:47.54.
The controlled run was the 10th fastest of the 16 qualifiers.
He will not be joined by his compatriot John Fitzsimons.
The third 800m heat, after a false start, began with a steady pace before Mariano Garcia of Spain upped the tempo. Fitzsimons tucked in alongside the Spaniard and made his play on the final bend.
The 2021 national champion attempted to go wide, but the move failed to pay off and he slipped down the placings on the home straight to finish seventh in 1:48.22, well outside his PB of 1:45.66 set earlier this summer.
Thomas Barr was to book his passage into the 400m hurdles final at the European Championships in Munich.
The 30-year-old, who claimed bronze at the 2018 Europeans, finished third in his semi-final in 49.30, but failed to secure one of the two fastest non-automatic qualifier spots.
Wilfried Happio of France and Germany’s Joshua Abuaku dominated the first semi-final, with Happio winning in a time of 48.89.
Stationed in lane eight, Barr breezed over the final hurdle and cut down the deficit to the German to register a time of 49.30, eclipsing the 49.49 posted in winning his heat earlier this week.
Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. Barr’s time was the seventh fastest overall from the semi-finals, but Switzerland’s Julien Bonvin edged his out by 0.2 for the second of the non-fastest qualifier spots.
Louise Shanahan secured automatic qualification to the women’s 800m semi-finals tomorrow morning with a well-executed race strategy.
The Tokyo Olympian knew a top-three position in her heat would be enough to guarantee her progression and began in aggressive manner, jostling her way to the front of the pack.
Two-time European silver medallist Renelle Lamote led them around with Shanahan, who is studying for a PhD in Quantum Physics at Cambridge University, taking the bell in fourth and tucked inside on the curve.
The Leevale athlete came off the final bend strongly to move up the field, and while Alexandra Bell edged past to claim second, Shanahan stay composed to secure a top-three position with a time of 2:02.80.
“I went out quite aggressively,” she said afterwards. “I was quite happy with my position. It slowed a bit through the bell and I got a little boxed in.
“I felt quite strong coming up through 200 metres and thankfully the gap opened up on the home straight. It was really helpful to have the big screen above the finish line.
“I knew the others were there and were pushing, but I also knew I had another gear and because I could see the screen I knew I could react if I thought they were getting too close.”
Michelle Finn advanced to the final of the 3000m steeplechase, while Eilish Flanagan failed to make it through.
The Irish pair were among 31 starters across the two heats this morning vying for a top-five finish, or among the five fastest qualifiers for Saturday’s final.
Two-time Olympian Finn snuck in as the final qualifier based on her time of 9:49.85, just outside her season’s best, in finishing seventh in a fast opening heat.
Finn Valley athlete Flanagan finished 12th in the second heat, clocking a time of 10:00.02.
Finn ran an assured race, settling into the back of the leading group with Turkey’s Tugba Guvenc and Albania’s Luiza Gega setting the early pace.
As Gega pushed out her advantage, the Leevale athlete became detached from the pack, but a strong surge down the home straight secured her passage through.
The formidable Gega was first across the line in a time of 9:30.39, with second and third claiming season’s bests.
Flanagan, a 2019 European Under-23 silver medallist, spent the majority of her race in 10th position, but struggled coming off the final bend to eventually finish 12th in a race won by reigning German champion Lea Meyer in 9:39.59.
There was disappointment for Marcus Lawler who made an early exit in the heats of the men’s 200m.
The Carlow native, competing in his third European Championships made an encouraging start to the first heat, but was unable to stick with the pace coming off the bend.
The 27-year-old had to settle for seventh place and a time 21.20, well outside his season’s best of 20.75.
Watch live coverage of the of the European Championships on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
English and Shanahan advance, Finn reaches 3000m steeplechase final, semi-final exit for Barr,
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