It was the race to decide the best 800m runner in the world, and in the end Mark English could have no complaints or regrets about his sixth-place finish. Not when he ran another personal best of 1:42.78, a month on from winning the European title, against suitably revered company.
On the closing night of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, the eight-man final brought together the best of the best. Despite unleashing another furious finishing kick down the homestretch, English couldn’t quite get himself into contention to claim the $150,000 prize for the new ‘ultimate champion’, the largest first-place prize in the history of the sport.
Instead, it went to Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, who moved from third to first in the last 50m to take the victory in 1:41.91, blasting past former World champion Marco Arop, while Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi was third.
Sedjati, the 27-year-old who won silver at the World Championships last year and Olympic bronze in Paris, is a renowned tactician, but English ran a near-perfect race too, ultimately caught only for raw speed.
“I think I probably ran the perfect race for the shape I’m in this year,” said English, who collected $14,000 in finishing sixth. Every athlete to compete in Budapest walked away with some part of the record $10-million purse on offer across the weekend.
“It’s a very high standard. World finals are always quick, so I’m happy. I ran a PB, and you can never not be happy when you run a PB. It was cool to be a part of, to be honest. Sedjati did well to get the win, he runs well in all the championships, so that’s not a surprise. It’s nice we’re all so condensed, it shows the depth in 800m running right now.”
Mark English after the men’s 800m final. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Arop took the race out from the 200m mark, the bell lap passed in a fast 49.68 seconds, with English sitting back in sixth. With no let-up in the pace, the Donegal man found it hard to make up ground, remaining in sixth to the finish. Francesco Pernici held on for fifth, running an Italian national record of 1:42.67, with the top seven finishers all coming in under 1:43.
“My plan was to just run how I feel, and make sure I could run an even-paced race as much as I could,” English added, Budapest representing his 16th 800m race this season. “It’s been a really good season, and to be doing this at 33 years of age, I don’t take it for granted. To be running those times and finishing in those places is a real privilege. But as years go, this has been my best year.”
Earlier, Rhasidat Adeleke was run out of a place in the 200m final, visibly disappointed after finishing a tired-looking fifth in her semi-final.
Adeleke had Olympic champion Gabby Thomas and World champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden for company, but a surprisingly slow start left the Dubliner chasing them from the gun. Adeleke’s time of 22.81 seconds was short of her 22.28 national record which she set when winning silver at the European Championships last month.
Adeleke finished strongly to blast past Jamaica’s Lavanya Williams, but couldn’t scrape her way into a top-four finish needed to make the evening’s final. Switzerland’s Fabienne Hoenke took the last qualifying spot of the first semi-final in 22.72.
Rhasidat Adeleke finishes fifth in the women’s 200m semi-final. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Adeleke was ranked 10th of the 15 finishers with the second semi-final run, earning her $8,000. Shaunae Miller-Uibo from the Bahamas was disqualified for a lane infringement having qualified for the final, bumping Adeleke up a place.
Jefferson-Wooden won the final in 21.48 seconds, the third fastest time in history, to complete a sprint double for $300,000. Her fellow American Kenny Bednarek also completed the sprint double, winning the 200m in a lifetime best of 19.52.
Adeleke is set to race the 200m once more this season, taking to the track in London next Friday for the all-women Athlos meet, where the winners will bank $60,000.
After scored a stunning 5,000m win on Friday night, Jakob Ingebrigtsen was a non-starter in Sunday’s 1,500m final, clearing the way for Josh Kerr. The Briton produced a devastating kick over the last 200m to win in 3:29.35, holding off the challenge from Australia’s Cameron Myers, who finished second in 3:29.68.
The Ultimate Championship, set to take place biennially, certainly lived up to its billing of being the ultimate season finale.