English advances to European final on appeal
There was relief for Mark English and the Irish camp as the UCD athlete was advanced to the final of the men’s 800m after being impeded in his semi-final at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow this evening (March 2).
In the penultimate lap English was impeded by Great Britains’ Guy Learmonth which saw him coming to a standstill before getting going again and finishing 5th in 1:50.70. Learmonth was disqualified under rule 163.2 as a result.
“He pushed through on the inside of me and then he tripped up and I fell over him. It’s a difficult one.”
The track referee advanced English on the appeal by Athletics Ireland due to the obstruction. There will now be seven athletes in the final tomorrow.