March 2019 proved a great month for UCD Athletics. UCD Ad Astra alumna Ciara Mageean and current UCD Ad Astra Scholar Mark English both took home medals at the European Indoor Championship. The two athletes were competing in the 1500m and 800m respectively and put in an incredible effort.
Mageean, a recent graduate of UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, was just pipped at the post for a silver medal and ran a time of 4:09.43, taking home a bronze medal, her first Indoor European Championship medal. English, who had his semi-final race scuppered, won his appeal to be placed on the starting line for the 800m final.
With a time of 1:47.39 in the final and a bronze medal, the current UCD School of Medicine student was delighted that his training is reaping rewards.“It gives me a lot of confidence that the training I’ve been doing has actually been working,” English told RTÉ Sport. This is the Ad Astra Sport Scholar’s third European medal at 800m, following bronze and silver in Zurich and Prague respectively.