MARK ENGLISH SPENT recent weeks high in the mountains, training at altitude and steeling his bid for an elusive European gold medal.
Rhasidat Adeleke was at a low ebb, wondering if she could ever scale those heights again.
Injuries had taken hold. Doubt crept in. Noise heightened, pressure mounted. Tears flowed in her bedroom as she questioned her worth and ability to get back.
Adeleke hadn’t represented Ireland on an individual level since the 2024 Olympic Games, and her participation at the European Championships in Birmingham was hanging in the balance.
The Dubliner’s return at the Prefontaine Classic meeting in Eugene, Oregon, in early July was, in her own words, “beyond rough”. 52.26 over 400m, well off the European qualification standard.
After pulling out of the Monaco Diamond League the following week, Adeleke dropped to 200m but a disappointing run of 23.07 in Lucerne left the mountain feeling higher than ever. “I’m cooked,” she thought to herself.
With the qualification window narrowing, the 23-year-old withdrew from another meet in Belgium and put all of her eggs in the 200m basket at National Championships. Last chance saloon, with the deadline just over 24 hours away.
22.80 booked her ticket to Birmingham and secured the crown. Was Rhasidat back? That question was answered emphatically on Thursday night at Alexander Stadium.
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Adeleke celebrates her silver medal. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Adeleke has been based in America since moving to the University of Texas on a scholarship in 2021, working under Edrick Floréal, or Coach Flo, a demanding coach who has steered her towards 400m as her main individual event.
Adeleke has spoken highly of Floréal through the years, but there are question marks in some quarters if his regime suits her, particularly with the level of injuries recently.
Much of her build-up for Birmingham was spent in Dublin, with Sport Ireland Institute strength and conditioning coach Martina McCarthy and physiotherapist Ciara McCallion repeatedly name-checked in her post-race interviews.
Home comforts appear to have been key on the road to redemption and stunning 200m European silver.
“I think the main thing I did was keep showing up,” said Adeleke after lowering her national record to 22.28 to take her place on the podium.
“The people who I have around me, people who’ve been helping me the last couple of weeks to get me back on my horse, the times that I talk down on myself, they’re quick to redirect me to positive thoughts.
“The journey makes this so much sweeter. The adversity I had, moments of doubt, scrutiny, just trying to block out the noise and focus on who I feel I can be. Knowing the work it took to get here, the belief it took, having to show up on the days when I didn’t think I was worth much. It’s been a really, really hard year.”
English’s season has been in sharp contrast. The Donegal doctor has enjoyed a rich vein of form, with national records tumbling from January to June.
A 800m personal best of 1:42.97 set at the London Diamond League in mid-July secured European qualification with plenty to spare, and signalled he was primed for the title challenge.
English celebrates winning gold. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The 33-year-old was a man on a mission, gold the only acceptable colour for his sixth continental medal. And he did it in style, breaking a 48-year-old championship record in the semi-final and clocking 1:43.49, before another tactical masterclass in a straightforward final saw him triumph in 1:45.26.
All week, English had spoken about wanting to show the work he has put in, pointing to altitude training camps in Spain and the impact of his coach, Justin Rinaldi.
English linked up with the Australian in late 2024. He had previously worked under Feidhlim Kelly, but a change was sought after the Paris Olympics where he bowed out in the semi-finals.
The Finn Valley man had put his medical career on hold before the Games to focus entirely on athletics, but he was looking to reach the next level with Fast 8 Track Club. Rinaldi, the Australian 800m champion in 1996 and 2006, has unlocked that, with English running faster than ever and strong finishes a hallmark.
Rinaldi is understood to keep speed and endurance in training programmes year-round, while he breaks 800m races into 200m blocks. English’s reference to Nick Symmonds’ famous quote, ‘You have to spread the peanut butter evenly over 800m’ after his success, offered an insight into the magic recipe.
He pointed to Rinaldi’s predictions and advice across the week, as well as being in a “better state physiologically” and psychologically.
He wrote, ‘I am European champion’ into a refill pad 15 times before the final. A few hours later, he could say the words aloud in public as an all-consuming effort paid dividends.
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Golden: Mark English with his medal. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“I’ve probably trained twice a day, every day, since last September,” English told reporters in the mixed zone with the elusive gold medal around his neck.
“Did I take Christmas Day off? I might have taken Christmas Day off. It’s just been non-stop. Finally, it paid off.”
So too for Adeleke. After all the adversity and emotion.
10 years separate them amidst very different careers, but English and Adeleke are now intertwined forever as Ireland’s European medallists on a terrific Thursday night in Birmingham.
Polarising seasons and situations, but they’re both at the top of the mountain now.
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English and Adeleke show you can take starkly different routes to success
MARK ENGLISH SPENT recent weeks high in the mountains, training at altitude and steeling his bid for an elusive European gold medal.
Rhasidat Adeleke was at a low ebb, wondering if she could ever scale those heights again.
Injuries had taken hold. Doubt crept in. Noise heightened, pressure mounted. Tears flowed in her bedroom as she questioned her worth and ability to get back.
Adeleke hadn’t represented Ireland on an individual level since the 2024 Olympic Games, and her participation at the European Championships in Birmingham was hanging in the balance.
The Dubliner’s return at the Prefontaine Classic meeting in Eugene, Oregon, in early July was, in her own words, “beyond rough”. 52.26 over 400m, well off the European qualification standard.
After pulling out of the Monaco Diamond League the following week, Adeleke dropped to 200m but a disappointing run of 23.07 in Lucerne left the mountain feeling higher than ever. “I’m cooked,” she thought to herself.
With the qualification window narrowing, the 23-year-old withdrew from another meet in Belgium and put all of her eggs in the 200m basket at National Championships. Last chance saloon, with the deadline just over 24 hours away.
22.80 booked her ticket to Birmingham and secured the crown. Was Rhasidat back? That question was answered emphatically on Thursday night at Alexander Stadium.
Adeleke has been based in America since moving to the University of Texas on a scholarship in 2021, working under Edrick Floréal, or Coach Flo, a demanding coach who has steered her towards 400m as her main individual event.
Adeleke has spoken highly of Floréal through the years, but there are question marks in some quarters if his regime suits her, particularly with the level of injuries recently.
Much of her build-up for Birmingham was spent in Dublin, with Sport Ireland Institute strength and conditioning coach Martina McCarthy and physiotherapist Ciara McCallion repeatedly name-checked in her post-race interviews.
Home comforts appear to have been key on the road to redemption and stunning 200m European silver.
“I think the main thing I did was keep showing up,” said Adeleke after lowering her national record to 22.28 to take her place on the podium.
“The people who I have around me, people who’ve been helping me the last couple of weeks to get me back on my horse, the times that I talk down on myself, they’re quick to redirect me to positive thoughts.
“The journey makes this so much sweeter. The adversity I had, moments of doubt, scrutiny, just trying to block out the noise and focus on who I feel I can be. Knowing the work it took to get here, the belief it took, having to show up on the days when I didn’t think I was worth much. It’s been a really, really hard year.”
English’s season has been in sharp contrast. The Donegal doctor has enjoyed a rich vein of form, with national records tumbling from January to June.
A 800m personal best of 1:42.97 set at the London Diamond League in mid-July secured European qualification with plenty to spare, and signalled he was primed for the title challenge.
The 33-year-old was a man on a mission, gold the only acceptable colour for his sixth continental medal. And he did it in style, breaking a 48-year-old championship record in the semi-final and clocking 1:43.49, before another tactical masterclass in a straightforward final saw him triumph in 1:45.26.
All week, English had spoken about wanting to show the work he has put in, pointing to altitude training camps in Spain and the impact of his coach, Justin Rinaldi.
English linked up with the Australian in late 2024. He had previously worked under Feidhlim Kelly, but a change was sought after the Paris Olympics where he bowed out in the semi-finals.
The Finn Valley man had put his medical career on hold before the Games to focus entirely on athletics, but he was looking to reach the next level with Fast 8 Track Club. Rinaldi, the Australian 800m champion in 1996 and 2006, has unlocked that, with English running faster than ever and strong finishes a hallmark.
Rinaldi is understood to keep speed and endurance in training programmes year-round, while he breaks 800m races into 200m blocks. English’s reference to Nick Symmonds’ famous quote, ‘You have to spread the peanut butter evenly over 800m’ after his success, offered an insight into the magic recipe.
He pointed to Rinaldi’s predictions and advice across the week, as well as being in a “better state physiologically” and psychologically.
He wrote, ‘I am European champion’ into a refill pad 15 times before the final. A few hours later, he could say the words aloud in public as an all-consuming effort paid dividends.
“I’ve probably trained twice a day, every day, since last September,” English told reporters in the mixed zone with the elusive gold medal around his neck.
“Did I take Christmas Day off? I might have taken Christmas Day off. It’s just been non-stop. Finally, it paid off.”
So too for Adeleke. After all the adversity and emotion.
10 years separate them amidst very different careers, but English and Adeleke are now intertwined forever as Ireland’s European medallists on a terrific Thursday night in Birmingham.
Polarising seasons and situations, but they’re both at the top of the mountain now.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Athletics mark english Rhasidat Adeleke