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Thomas Barr readily running indoors on long track to Doha

European 400m hurdles medallist targeting qualification for European Indoor Championships

European 400m hurdles medallist Thomas Barr at the announcement of Irish Life Health as an official partner to Athletics Ireland. Photograph: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Ian O'Riordan's face
Ian O'Riordan
Wed Jan 23 2019 - 06:00

“I genuinely have no idea, haven’t a clue,” says Thomas Barr, sounding equally excited and daunted while announcing his plans for an indoor season over the 400 metres flat.

With the 10 three-foot hurdle version not being an official indoor event, Barr is targeting qualification for the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow on the first weekend in March for two reasons: an opportunity to further fine-tune his speed over the winter, and break up an extra-long outdoor season that won’t peak until the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, which run from September 27th to October 6th.

“Because Doha is so late, I am looking to do a proper indoor season this year,” says Barr, speaking at the announcement as Irish Life Health as official partner to Athletics Ireland for 2019.

“We’ll actually have plenty of time coming out of indoors to build up again for outdoors, leading up to Doha, which is a month, six weeks later than a major championship would usually be.”

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Clearly intent on building again on his European Championship bronze medal won over the 400m hurdles in Berlin last August, plus this being a pre-Olympic year, Barr is also being typically optimistic about Doha, despite widespread fears around the cripplingly hot temperatures, even in late September, on top of the late, late timing of the championships themselves.

Air conditioning

“Apparently the stadium is fairly well enclosed, and actually has air conditioning, so I’m not too worried about the heat. I’ve competed in 30 degrees before, and actually love the heat.

The big thing is that it’s so much later, makes the season so much longer, and that is a concern. But sometimes I can be a bit slow to get going in the season, can lengthen out the training blocks, and every athlete is in the same boat. There’s not really very much we can do about it.”

Just back from two weeks warm-weather training in Tenerife, and “getting straight back into hard training after Christmas”, Barr will run a sort of novelty 400m hurdles indoors at the Athletics Ireland Games at Sport Ireland Indoor arena on February 2nd, before racing two flat 400m at the Athlone International and the Irish Indoor Championships in preparation for Glasgow.

“No pressure, just bit of fun, something interesting to watch,” he says of the hurdles, Glasgow being something a little more serious.

As part of their partnership with Athletics Ireland, Irish Life Health are helping to develop Fundamental Movement Skills, which research has shown to increase the probability of a long-term active life by 20 per cent; Athletics Ireland also offers a range of programmes reaching 100,000 people daily aged 8 to 80.