Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) has stormed into the final of the 800m at the World Athletics Championships with a national record-breaking time of 1:43.18 NR at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo this afternoon (Sept 18th).
Competing in the second of the semi-finals, the Longford athlete delivered a tactical masterclass – moving from fifth at the bell to unleash a powerful finishing kick that secured victory and a new Irish national record, surpassing Mark English’s previous mark of 1:43.37.
McPhillips’ surge down the home straight saw him edge ahead of Britain’s Max Burgin, who also qualified for the final. The performance marks another milestone for the 23-year-old, who previously claimed gold at the 2021 European U20 Championships.
Speaking after the race, McPhillips said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet. I had a feeling it was coming, I felt really good two days ago, but I’ve never raced against fields this good, so it’s hard to know sometimes if you have it or not. I went for it when Max (Burgin) took off and thankfully I was able to hold on to the end.”
Commenting on his new national record, McPhillips said: “I’ve been working hard the last couple of years and it hasn’t really come together, so to the outside it probably looks like a huge jump, but to me I’ve seen it come out in training and now we’re finally seeing it come out in races, so I’m delighted”.
It makes McPhillips the first Irish man to qualify for a world outdoor 800m final, with the 2025 decider set for 2.20pm on Saturday.
Mark English finished third in his 800m semi-final with a time of 1:45.47. Despite a bold move to lead before the final bend, English was overtaken in the closing stages and narrowly missed out on a place in the final. The Finn Valley athlete bows out on the back of another hugely impressive showing, with one of Ireland’s most successful track athletes finishing in 18th place overall.
Friday promises to be another exciting day for the Irish in Tokyo with four athletes in action including World Indoor silver medallist Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St Gerard’s AC) who will begin her busy two-days of heptathlon competition with the 100m hurdles at 9.33am Irish time. The Dundalk athlete, who will have sights firmly set on surpassing her own national record of 6487pts, will also be in action in the high jump, shot put, and 200m.
Irish 5000m record-holder Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) will spearhead Ireland’s trio of entries in the opening round of the men’s 5,000m, ably supported by Darragh McElhinney (Bantry AC) who climbed to second on the Irish all-time list following his 13:02.06 in Belgium last month. World 1500m finalist Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) will take to the track for the fourth time this week as he bids to make his second global final in the space of a few days.
Team Ireland Results Summary
Day Six – Evenings Session – Thursday September 18th
- Mark English – Men’s 800m – SF 1 – 3rd in 1:45.47 (18th overall)
- Cian McPhillips – Men’s 800m – SF 2 – 1st in 1:43.18Q NR
Team Ireland Schedule: Irish Time (Local time in brackets)
Day Seven – Evening Session – Friday September 19th
- Kate O’Connor – 100m Hurdles Heat 1 – Women’s Heptathlon – 09:33 (17:33)
- Kate O’Connor – High Jump Group A – Women’s Heptathlon – 10:20 (18:20)
- Brian Fay – Men’s 5000m – Heat 1 – 12:00 (20:00)
- Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 5000m – Heat 2 – 12:19 (20:19)
- Darragh McElhinney – Men’s 5000m – Heat 2 – 12:19 (20:19)
- Kate O’Connor – Shot Put Group B – Women’s Heptathlon – 12:30 (20:30)
- Kate O’Connor – 200m Heat 1 – Women’s Heptathlon – 13:38 (21:38)
Where to watch
RTÉ Sport will bring you comprehensive live coverage across the 3 days. See RTÉ listings for details.
- Results are HERE
- Interviews available on Athletics Ireland social media channels
