World Athletics Championships: Cian McPhillips into 800m final after winning semi-final

Michael Bolton

Cian McPhillips has put in the performance of his career as he won his 800m semi-final in the World Athletics Championships.

McPhillips finished with a time of 1:43.18, setting a new Irish record in the process, as he was the man to catch in the closing stages.

The 23-year-old impressed with his win in the heats on Tuesday, but surpassed expectations with victory ahead of Britain’s Max Burgin (1:43.37) and USA’s former world champion Donavan Brazier (1:43.82).

Missing out on the final will be Mark English, who finished third in his semi-final.

English made a move early in the race to go in front with 200m remaining, briefly opening half a stride on the chasing group.

However, defending champion Marco Arop from Canada and Olympic bronze medallists Djamel Sedjati from Algeria passed him, as English finished with a time of 1:45.47.

English faced a nervous wait, which led to him missing out on one of the two fastest non-qualifiers.

The final will take place on Saturday at 2.22 pm Irish time, with McPhillips a live threat for a medal.