Ireland’s Thomas Barr has produced his best performance of the season in finishing second at the Bislett Games – as world champion Karsten Warholm sensationally smashed the long-standing European 400m hurdles record.

Around 3,000 French police on motorcycles, in jogging gear and on skates will protect the Olympic torch relay today as it departs from the Eiffel Tower and criss-crosses Paris amid threats of pro-Tibet protests.

The Olympic spotlight shone today on the most famous sports star to have walked the Earth: Muhammad Ali.

AS expected, Sonia O’Sullivan and the newly-crowned European 5,000m champion, Marta Dominguez of Spain, will renew rivalry at the Weltklasse in Zurich tonight but Gabriela Szabo has jumped ship and elected to run in the 1,500m race.