Can the 22-year-old Halifax Harrier win Britains first Olympic medal in the mens 800m since Seb Coe 40 years ago? If so, his tactics need to be perfect

Max Burgins stop-start, injury-stricken career is finally taking off in the Stade de France this week. On Friday (Aug 9) he ran a PB of 1:43.50 in his semi-final to become the first British runner to make an Olympic mens 800m final since Andrew Osagie in 2012.

Osagie was seventh in that race in London 12 years ago, whereas Curtis Robb placed sixth in Barcelona in 1992 and Peter Elliott was fourth in Seoul 1988, so you have to go back to 1984 for the last time a Brit made the podium when Seb Coe was runner-up to Joaquim Cruz of Brazil.

Can the enigmatic talent from Halifax win a medal in Paris? The 22-year-olds rich ability has been clear from his record-breaking teenage years but he has been bedevilled with injuries in recent seasons.

Two years ago he arrived at World Championships in Eugene as the fastest man in the world but was unable to make the start line due to a blood clot in his calf and ended up having to spend a spell in a mobility scooter. I didnt watch the final, he said. I was too bitter.

During 2023 and last winter he struggled to train properly due to persistent Achilles problems. Such were the issues, he resorted to wearing Vaporfly shoes as slippers to ease the pressure on his heels.

In December, however, he finally had the problem diagnosed and discovered it wasnt the actual Achilles tendons but an irritated sural nerve in both legs.

At the UK Championships in June he qualified for Paris by finishing runner-up to Ben Pattison at the trials off limited training. Since then things have gone better and he is hoping to make his mark on Saturday night against a strong field that features world No.1 Djamel Sedjati of Algeria and reigning world champion Marco Arop of Canada, whereas the presence of Gabriel Tual of France will ensure a huge atmosphere.

Im over the moon, Burgin said. I thought it might be hard to get to the final. I was in the call room having second thoughts with my previous times compared to everyone elses.

Despite his lack of racing, though, he ran a solid tactical race, well placed at the bell, refusing to panic down the back straight when there was the danger of being boxed and then powering through the final 100m to finish third behind winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya and Bryce Hoppel of the United States.

The mens 800m is one of the most competitive at the Paris Games, too, with 11 men breaking 1:43.00 this summer and three athletes dipping well inside 1:42.00, led by Sedjati with 1:41.46 in Monaco.

Burgin is sharing a room at these Games with Pattison who, along with Elliot Giles, was knocked out in these tough semi-finals. Burgin has also trained with Keely Hodgkinson a little over the years with the pair both winning European under-18 titles six years ago and doing gym sessions together in Leeds, where Burgin is studying for a history degree and where Hodgkinson studied criminology before swapping academics for athletics.

I watched Keelys race with the team, it was an inspiring performance, says Burgin. She dominated that race. I dont know if the mens 800m will go quite the same way but it should be great to watch.

After winning bronze in Budapest 12 months ago, Pattison came into these Games as the No.1 British hope. But Pattison is often the first to point to Burgins amazing ability and therefore reaching the final after a few weeks of unbroken training is no surprise.

Among other things as a teenager, Burgin broke David Sharpes long-standing British under-20 record with 1:45.36 in 2019 aged just 17 and then improved it to 1:44.75 the following year just after his 18^th birthday. He then ran 1:44.14 at the start of 2021 but had to sit out the rest of the year with injury. In 2022 he clocked an early season 1:43.52 in Turku but then had a nightmare at the Worlds in Eugene.

Burgin and Pattison along with Oliver Dustin and Finley Mclear are part of a golden generation of young British 800m runners with Dustin, Pattison and Mclear sweeping the medals like baby Spitfires out of the sky at the 2019 European Under-20 Championships, an event Burgin missed with injury.

Coached by his father, Ian, the young Burgin has a tendency to throw up a lot after training, too. But this didnt happen immediately after Fridays semi-final. Surprisingly I wasnt sick after that race, he said. First time in a long time. It must be the adrenaline and the excitement of getting through thats keeping me going.

Tactics will be crucial in Saturdays final. Will he do a Burgin and hit the front in a style that has served him so well over the years? Or will he run more conservatively, sit back in the pack and try to pick off people for a medal?

There is something to be said for going to the front and controlling it, he said, suggesting that he hasnt ruled out a return to his front-running tactics. You do feel a bit more comfortable durig the race until the wheels come off and then obiviously you dont. But Ive been comfortable running a more tactical race this year.

Is there more in the tank? Ive got a tight turnaround but I like to think theres more to come.

As for his team-mates, Pattison ran 1:45.57 for fourth in the first semi and said: My legs didnt feel right. I dont know why. I made some mistakes running extra distances or covering too many moves.

It just wasnt my day but failure is a part of sport. Unfortunately, I failed at the top level but Im still young. Ill learn a lot from this season, I already have. The season is not over just yet. Ill take a bit of time to get over this but Ill regroup and recover to have a strong end to the season.

READ MORE: Joaquim Cruz looks back at his 1984 win at 800m

Giles was fifth in his semi in 1:45.46 after being brought into the team at a late stage following Jake Wightmans withdrawal due to injury.

Tactically it wasnt an awful race. I just lacked that final little gear.

Giles added that he wants to go all in in the 1500m next year.