Disappointment in the end for brave Mark English in Olympic 800m semi-final

Mark English gave a spirited showing only to end up in sixth place at the semi-final of the Men's 800m at the Olympic Games in Paris.

The Letterkenny native was in a good position at the Stade de France, leading with 200m remaining after making the bell in third, only to get swallowed up late on to finish with a time of 1:45.97.

Finn Valley AC's English knew he would most likely have to beat his own Irish record of 1:44.53 to stand a chance in a competitive field and put the pedal to the floor on the third lap. However, it was not to be for the 31-year-old.

The race was won by Algeria's Djamel Sedjati in 1:45.08 and Tshopiso Masalela from Botswana grabbed the second of the automatic places in the first of three semi-finals with 1:45.33. Italian Catalin Tecucanu came third with 1:45.38 and Ben Pattison of Great Britain fourth with 1:45.57. Fifth went to Brandon Miller of the United States, in a time of 1:45.79. Sweden's Andreas Kramer led at the halfway point, only to finish seventh in 1:46.52, with Mexican Jesus Tonatiu Lopez eighth in a time of 1:50.38.