A third Olympics for Thomas Barr but not how he envisioned it
Time Barnes/sportsfile Sam Thomas Three Photo Barr By Olympian
It’s not how he envisioned the Olympics – his third and final Games. But Thomas Barr is nonetheless ready to make the most of it. The 32-year-old had intended to be in Paris for both the 400m hurdles and mixed 4x400m relay, but having fallen agonisingly short of qualification for the former, he’s now all-in on the latter.
In tomorrow evening’s mixed 4x400m heats, he will run the third leg, joining forces with Chris O’Donnell, Sophie Becker and Sharlene Mawdsley, hoping to help Ireland into a global final for the fourth year in a row. And given the results Ireland has achieved this year – winning bronze at the World Relays and gold at the Europeans – he knows their days of coming in under the radar are no more.
“With expectation comes added pressure and it’s how we deal with that,” he says. “For me, I love being in that position.”
Rhasidat Adeleke was part of the line-up at the Europeans in Rome and at the World Relays in the Bahamas and when Barr and I spoke, a couple of weeks out from the Games, the Waterford athlete was none the wiser whether the 21-year-old star would line up for the mixed relay.
However, indications in Paris this week are that even if the Irish do make the final, Adeleke won’t be involved as she understandably focuses her efforts on the 400m, which begins on Monday and where she has a huge medal chance. Adeleke would still be available for the women’s 4x400m final on Saturday week if Ireland qualify for that without her, given the heats are the morning of the women’s 400m final, which she will likely be involved in.
Either way, Barr knows his job is the same: to unleash another leg like he did in Rome where he blitzed a 44.90-second lap to hand the baton to Mawdsley in contention with the leaders.
“Coming away from the Europeans having beaten the Dutch is a huge confidence boost. It does come with added pressure that we are a marked team but the biggest thing is going out, not getting complacent, and doing what we know we’re capable of.”
Barr said he “completely messed up” his individual qualification chances at nationals in late June, running all out in his heat in bid to hit the automatic 400m hurdles standard of 48.70, clocking 49.60 in dire weather. That took a toll the next day and he clocked 50.61 in the final, a race where 49.90 or quicker would have proven enough to secure a spot via his world ranking.
“I’m very disappointed not to be included in the hurdles, it’s almost a kick to the pride as much as anything else,” he says. “The hurdles has been my forte for so many years and it’s the first championship I’ve not qualified for since 2011. But it’s given me that freedom because the hurdles does take up a huge amount of time, technically.”
In recent weeks he’s been able to focus solely on sprint workouts, honing his 400m fitness. The Games experience will be all the more special given the presence of his girlfriend Kelly McGrory, who’s part of the women’s 4x400m squad. Selection for both came down to the wire.
“It could have been a case of one of us going and the other was staying home,” he says. “It wouldn’t have affected our relationship but it would have been difficult to be really excited when the other wasn’t there. But it’s really, really special the two of us have got places. The Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport, one of those times you make core memories: in the village, in the stadium, with family and friends outside the stadium. It’s really magical to be able to share those memories with each other and look back on in years to come.”
All Barr has done this year has been a means to an end. Running in just the relay at the Games was not his plan, but he’s here, he’s ready, and he’ll give it everything once he gets that baton.
“My mindset last year, and the last three years, has been building up towards Paris,” he says. “The Olympics is the big game.”