'English But Irish'? Olympian's Surname Leaves Internet Confused

While he had a spirited side showing up at the semi-finals of the Men’s 800m, Ireland’s Mark English still ended up in sixth place at the Paris Olympics, thus falling short of a medal. While his performance got him a lot of praise online, the athlete also had everyone’s attention for a hilariously different reason. It was Mark English’s name that sparked a meme fest on the internet. People pointed out the irony of his surname, given that he hails from Ireland.

“ENGLISH but Irish… “Just saw a photo of Mark English, the Irish athlete, and couldn’t help but chuckle. His name’s ‘English,’ but he’s repping Ireland! Proof that even in sports, you can be named English and still be Irish through and through,” a user wrote.

Many others also shared pictures of English with epic comebacks on his surname. “Ireland or England at the 2024 Paris Olympics? The Irish can be a bit confusing, even when they’re sober!” another posted.

“English but Irish,” a comment read.

A user joked, “Stephen Ireland, Jason Scotland, Mark English I need another guy with ‘Welsh’ as a family name.”

A post shows an internet user playing around the athlete’s name and his country. “So this Mark, is he #English? No, he’s #Irish. But his name is Mark English! True, but he hails from #Ireland. So, is English his first language? No, he speaks Irish as his mother tongue,” the comment read.

The internet seems to be having a field day from yet another interesting happening from the Summer Games.

Mark English in the Men’s 800 M Semi-Final

Having shown a good position at the Stade de France, he was leading with an impressive 200m remaining. However, it was in the last few minutes that he got swallowed up. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, one of the big favourites for gold, made it to the finals, followed by Tshopiso Masalela from Botswana in the second spot, and Italy’s Catalin Tecucanu in the third.