Mark English was narrowly denied a victory at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava in what was billed as a world record attempt over 600 metres - although not by the athlete he had most feared.

Because as English ran a near-perfect race when finishing second, bagging himself an Irish record of one minute, 16.14 seconds, Kenya's 800m world record holder David Rudisha never got that far - pulling up, just after 100m, while clutching his right thigh muscle.

So, while English pressed on hard for victory, not realising Rudisha was gone, it appeared he would at least get the win, if not the scalp: instead, he was nailed just on the line by Poland's Adam Kszczot, who clocked 1:16.04.

It remains to be seen just how damaging Rudisha’s injury turns out to be, although on a wet night, and damp track, there were no such worries for Jamaica’s world record holder, Usain Bolt, who ran a season best of 20.13 seconds to win the 200m, an impressive run given the conditions.