 I'm delighted now to be speaking to Mark English, who joins us. He's taken time out from his full-time training camp ahead of the Europeans to look ahead to that event and speak all things athletics. Good to see you, Mark. Good to talk to you. Good to see you, Arshine. Thanks for having me. I wasn't delighted to have you on before we look ahead to the Europeans next week. Maybe we'll recap over the last couple of weeks. A ninth national championship at the indoors recently. You looked very comfortable in it, Mark. Was winning a national title for a ninth time still mean as much to you as what it was for the first couple of occasions? Thanks very much. It certainly wasn't, it was certainly a tough race anyway because Roland Serles is a great competitor but it was definitely an achievement that I value a lot when my ninth national title is always something that I've wanted to do and yeah, as I say, I'll continue to race my national championships and to win as many as I can. And you carried that form obviously into Spain earlier this week where you looked very comfortable in that race in Madrid, Mark. Yeah, again, it was a very competitive race. You had Pablo Sanchez and Validaris from Spain there. You had Kyle Langford who finished fourth at the World Championships in 2017. So good quality field and I was very happy to come away with the win, especially with the upcoming European Championships so it's all positive. Are you comfortable? I don't use the word comfortable on several occasions already, but are you comfortable with life at the minute and where you're at on the track and off it? Yeah, like I'm just trying to get the most out of myself. So training is going well and we'll see next week how I get on the European Championships. You're now a full-time athlete. How has that differed, Mark, from where it was a number of years ago where you were trying to juggle the books, you were trying to become the doctor and you were trying to be the best athlete and put in the best performance as you could. What's different over the last couple of years now? What's different this time around for Mark English? How does it differ from what you were doing? So I think I said last year about how it was important for me to have time off in the work in order to recover from my speed sessions. And it still remains that way because when I'm doing really hard sprint workouts, I need to let the body recover and being off of my feet allows me to recover in order to do the next hard workout. So, yeah, from that point of view, it's been really, really helpful. Does it mean as well that you're doing more sessions as a full-time athlete? Well, I suppose if you're looking at the speed sessions, it means that I'm kind of getting more out of them. So if you're looking at it that way, it's probably more accurate. But yeah, so it's definitely helping with my training. Yeah. Do you still feel that you have it in the legs the same way you did 10 years ago, Mark? Yeah, I definitely do. Like I think at the minute, I know a lot more about how to get the most out of my body than I did 10 years ago. And that means a lot when you're coming to 800 meter running, especially at a championship level. Yeah. And obviously, you've got a great work in relationship with your coach Phelan. So you have? Yeah, Phelan was a really good coach to have. I switched over to Phelan towards the end of 2020. And he's just been able to keep me really accountable during my training sessions and the training group at the Dortmund Track Club has been really good from like a social outlet after training. It allows me to help recover quicker and get ready for the next workout. So it's been really, really helpful. Yeah. What's the workouts like between now and when you take to the track for the first time for the heats and the Europeans next weekend, Mark? So the work is primarily done now. It's just about tapering for next week and making sure that I'm not doing anything that could injure me or set me back. So I'll just keep the legs taken and make sure that I'm ready to go for next week. Yeah. Did that race and Spain then earlier this week give you an indication? Yeah, you're ready. You have the work done here. Yeah. Look, I know I'm ready to go. But equally, there's maybe 10 or 12 other athletes who are ready to go as well. It'll be a very tough competition and I don't want to get out there. It'll be challenging, but I'm ready for it. Yeah. What are you expecting of yourself then next week? Do you see, do you look at us that you have to meddle here? Because you meddled in 2019, you won a bronze and obviously you were a silver medalist previously as well at a door as a medal. The ultimate target for you. Is this what you want? Well, of course, like everyone racing in the eight hundred meters, we'd all have a medal, but, you know, it will be tough. It'll be very competitive. I was chatting to Eric Sawinski there, the pacemaker on the circuit recently about the standards of competition. And he just said it's very high over eight hundred meters at the minute. And then I'd agree with them. It is, you know, and I just I just hope to be able to give it my best shot when I get out there next week. Yeah. Yeah. And then, of course, obviously down the line, then we've got Paris to come this this year as well. So it's it's a huge year. Twenty twenty three is a massive year for you, Mark. Yeah, I know. Twenty three is a big year. There's an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics and to get over to Paris then for the games on twenty four. And who knows, it's it's not that far to even drive. So I might even be able to drive down to Paris with the the diesel car at Ireland that's been supplied by MCR group as well, you know. But yeah, it's it's an exciting time to head and I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. What do you need to do to qualify for the Olympics, Mark? Well, I can either run the the automatic standard, which has now increased from where it was at. I think it's at one forty four seven. So I can run that time or I can qualify through the rankings. And I won't know that until twenty twenty four when that's all finalised. So they're the two ways. Yeah, just reflecting back on the last cycle that the Olympics. So you needed it. Was it the rankings that you needed to get through on the last occasion? For the Olympic games. Yeah. Yeah. I actually ran the standard in the end. So it ended up that there were no athletes qualified through the ranking system for the eight hundred meters. So the Olympics in twenty twenty one is just whoever had ran the standard. It just happened to happen that the Olympics and eight hundred meters that he was really, really competitive. So who knows, it might be the same again next time, and I might need to run the standard. I mean, it's just as competitive, if not more, because there's lots of guys that are staying in the sport and you have lots of young guys coming up. So it's very competitive. Yeah, I suppose if you make it as far as the Olympics and in Paris as well next year, Mark, we have a closer to home, we have a bit more support. There'll be quite a few looking to go that way. Yeah, it's it's amazing. Even racing in Madrid there recently, there was a group of Irish under twenty athletes over competing in this DNA. That is competition is great of their support. But yeah, like with Paris being so close, it's hopefully there'll be an Irish contingent over to support. Yeah, well, listen, there's a lot to go on between now and when the Olympics come around in Paris next year. Obviously, we've got the Europeans next to come next week. There's a sort of good feeling around Irish athletics at the moment off the back of recent competitions. It's very much on the up mark. Yeah, no, for sure. Like you've got lots of guys there, like Israel at only in the 60 meters. I think he runs six fifty sevens at there and broke the record. Yeah, amazing, amazing race. So he'll be in good stead now coming to European championships. And, you know, if you're McGean, there's no she's not competing at the European indoors, but she's she'll be hoping to go well in the outdoors as well. And Rashida, she's a very good indoor season to over 400 meters. So, yeah, look, it's it's very positive. And and things are looking good. Yeah, OK, just finally, then I'm going to touch on the Donegal Sports Star Award for for 2022. You were named the overall winner. You've won that now several times. We didn't get to speak to you after after it, Mark. But how much does that mean to you to win the Sports Star Award? Because you do hold home very, very close to your heart. Yeah, look, it means a lot. Very happy to come away with the word. Very pleased. It's an amazing honour, as I said in the in the video. And I'm very thankful that, you know, I've just been recognised for my achievements for 2022. Yeah, and the achievements last year, obviously, was the bronze medal on the 800. Another medal on the 800 this time around would be nice, Mark. Certainly, it was OK. Well, listen, many thanks for joining us, Mark. And we wish you every success and the best of luck with the indoors in Istanbul and Turkey next week. Thanks, Wendy and Ashin.