Mark English produced another outstanding performance to finish sixth in the men’s 800m final as three Irish athletes represented Ireland at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest from September 11th–13th.
European champion English (Finn Valley AC), European silver medallist Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) and Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) all took to the track at the National Athletics Centre, returning to the venue where the trio competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
The new World Athletics competition brought together many of the sport’s leading athletes, including Olympic and world champions, Wanda Diamond League winners and the highest-ranked athletes of the season.
English reaches first global final
Mark English continued his superb 2026 season with another major breakthrough, progressing to his first global outdoor final and lowering his personal best in the process.
The 33-year-old produced a composed performance in Saturday’s 800m semi-finals, easing to victory in the second semi-final to secure automatic qualification for Sunday’s final.
English returned to the track on Sunday and delivered another superb performance against a world-class field, crossing the line in sixth place in a new personal best of 1:42.78.
The performance takes another 0.19 seconds off the 1:42.97 personal best he had set earlier this summer and caps an outstanding championship period for the Finn Valley AC athlete following his European 800m title in Birmingham last month.
Adeleke fifth in 200m semi-final
Rhasidat Adeleke returned to action in the women’s 200m on Sunday, just weeks after claiming European silver in Birmingham.
The Tallaght AC star produced a strong run in her semi-final, clocking 22.81 seconds to finish fifth.
Adeleke narrowly missed out on one of the automatic qualification places for the final, bringing her campaign at the inaugural championships to a close.
The 24-year-old had arrived in Budapest ranked eighth on the season’s list following her stunning 22.28 national record at last month’s European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
Mawdsley continues comeback from injury
Sharlene Mawdsley made a welcome return to major championship competition following the hamstring injury which forced her to miss last month’s European Athletics Championships.
The Newport AC athlete lined up in Friday evening’s women’s 400m semi-final, finishing seventh in 51.28 seconds.
While the performance was not enough to progress to Saturday’s final, Mawdsley’s appearance in Budapest represented another positive step in her return to competition.
The Tipperary sprinter had only returned to racing earlier in the week at the Palio Città della Quercia in Rovereto, Italy, where she marked her comeback by winning the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting in an impressive 50.58 seconds.
Irish Results – World Athletics Ultimate Championships
Women’s 400m Semi-Final
Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) – 7th, 51.28
Men’s 800m Semi-Final
Mark English (Finn Valley AC) – 1st, 1:43.74 (Q)
Men’s 800m Final
Mark English (Finn Valley AC) – 6th, 1:42.78 PB
Women’s 200m Semi-Final
Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) – 5th, 22.81
