Cian McPhillips delivered an exceptional Irish record-breaking performance to advance to the final of the 800m at World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
McPhillips clocked 1:43.18 seconds to win the second of three semi-finals at Japan's National Stadium.
The Longford athlete was fifth at the bell in a closely bunched field, but made stealthy progress to sit just off the shoulder of Britain's Max Burgin entering the home straight.
The closing kick of the 23-year-old proved irresistible and the gold medallist from the 2021 European Junior Championships went on to lower the previous national record of 1:43.37 set by Mark English in Hungary last month, with Burgin booking his place in the final by filling the runner-up berth.
The final is on Saturday at 2.20pm, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
As @GregAllenRTE said, the maths student has got his calculations right!
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 18, 2025
Not only has Longford's Cian McPhillips won his semi-final heat to get into an 800m World final but he's set an Irish record in the process #Tokyo2025
📺 https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/BPt2PNoWG9
However, there was heartbreak for the former record holder, who finished third in his heat in 1:45.47.
Fifth at the bell, English made a bold move to round the field and lead before the final bend, but he was reeled in on the run for the line.
Canada's Marco Arop, who is the reigning world champion in the event, won English's heat in 1:45.09, with Djamel Sedjati of Algeria second in the same time as the winner.
The top two in each heat progressed to the final, alongside the two fastest losers, but the Letterkenny athlete missed out on one of those qualifying spots.
Mark English finished third in his semi-final heat but will not advance to the men's 800m final #Tokyo2025
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 18, 2025
📺 https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/IxkopxBJLl
The third semi-final went the way of Spain's Mohamed Attaoui, who clocked 1:43.18, the same time recorded by Ireland's new track star.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya followed the Spaniard home, while Jamaica's Navasky Anderson and Tshepiso Masalela of Botswana finished third and fourth, with the latter two men advancing to the final as the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
McPhillips' stellar display might have surprised many, but the man of the moment recently told RTÉ Sport that he had been thriving in training before the Worlds, and he said after today's race: "It hasn't really sunk in yet. I had a feeling it was coming. I felt really, really good two days ago.
"I haven't raced against a field this good before. It is kind of hard to know sometimes if you have it or not. I just went for it when Max took off and thankfully I was able to hold on at the end.
"As good as these guys are, you can't give them any respect. You just have to treat them like they are the same as you. I'm delighted with that [result].
"I was a bit all over the place the last 30 metres. I was doing my best, it was something I've really worked on in the gym the last couple of years. It hasn't been able to materialise in the races until now. I've picked a good time to do it.
"From the outside it probably looks like a huge jump. To me, I've seen the work I've been putting in. I've seen it come out in training and now we're finally seeing it coming out in races. I'm delighted."
Watch Cian McPhillips compete in the final of the 800m at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday at 2.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Coverage begins at 11am
