Letterkenny AC’s Mark English has been selected as the Crowne Plaza Athlete of the Month for January 2011, Athletic Ireland has announced.
The young 17 year old athlete has been in sparkling form this season over 800m indoors.
On Sunday January 30th this year, competing in the Celtic Cup in Cardiff in the junior 800m event, English won the race in a new National Junior Indoor Record time of 1:48.63, beating his club mate Darren McBrearty into 2nd place.
His time beat the 18 year old previous record time held by former UCD athlete David Matthews of 1:49:63.
Mark’s new record winning time also gave him the qualifying time for next summers’ European Junior Championships in Tallin, Estonia in July.
English followed up his record breaking run by taking the Irish Senior Indoor 800m title last month at The Odyssey Arena in Belfast.
Mark comes from a very talented athletic family. Both his sisters Joanne and Michelle have also competed for Ireland in athletics as has his Aunt Bernie who medaled in the FISEC Games back in the 1970’s.
Mark has medaled consistently in the national juvenile championships from a young age and has progressed through the years.