IRISH OLYMPIAN THOMAS Barr returned to the competitive track with a solid third-placed finish in the 400m hurdles, clocking 50:30 at the P-T-S Meeting in Samorin, Slovakia on Friday evening.
It has been a year since Barr raced the event — his last 400m hurdles took place at the World Championships in Doha last September — and six months since he raced at all; he began his 2020 season with a personal best in the 400m flat in February only to see his momentum halted by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown of sport.
The Waterford man will return to action in the ISTAF meet at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Sunday, the venue at which he won his European bronze medal in 2018.
Nadia Power, who won bronze at the European U23s last year, also finished third in Slovakia on Friday evening, continuing her strong recent form with a 2:02.12 in the 800m — the second fastest time of her career.
The Dubliner clocked that PB just three days ago when she set a new Irish women’s U23 800m record with a time of 2:01.01.
Women’s 800m
- 1. Gabriela Gajanová (Slovakia) 2:01.26 SB
- 2. Sara Kuivisto (Finland) 2:01.60 PB
- 3. Nadia Power (Ireland) 2:02.12
Men’s 400m Hurdles
- 1. Rasmus Mägi (Estonia) 49.32
- 2. Efekeme Okoro (Britain) 50.28
- 3. Thomas Barr (Ireland) 50.30
