Mark English takes second in Rome Diamond League 800m with season's best

Irish athlete Mark English achieved a season-best performance in the 800-meter race at the Rome Diamond League, finishing second with a time of 1:43.80. This marks the second-fastest time of his career, demonstrating his strong form this season.

English employed his signature late surge down the homestretch, a tactic that led him to victory at the Shanghai Diamond League last month. However, on this occasion, it was not quite enough to overtake France's Gabriel Tual, who held on for the win with a time of 1:43.66. Tual is an Olympic finalist from Paris with a personal best of 1:41.61.

At 33 years old, English improved upon his previous season's best of 1:43.85 set in Shanghai. His performance in Rome underscores his continued competitiveness at the elite level of middle-distance running.

In the women's 5,000 meters, Sarah Healy made her Diamond League debut. After winning the 1,500m in Rome last year, she ran a more conservative race this time, finishing in 14:48.88. This time places her second on the Irish all-time list for the 5,000m, behind Sonia O’Sullivan’s Irish record of 14:41.02 set at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Healy's performance also met the qualifying standard of 15:05.00 for the European Championships. The women's 5,000m race was won by Ethiopia's Likina Amebaw in 14:18.41.