Thomas Barr is targeting a final berth in the 400m hurdles at his maiden World Athletics Championships in Beijing at the end of this month.

Nothing was going to derail Robert Heffernan’s goal of winning the world 50km race walk title yesterday — not even his own team-mate knocking him down while driving behind him on a 40km walk at a high altitude training camp in Ifrane, Morocco back in April.

The world’s greatest distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele, will take centre stage at the Spar Great Ireland Run 10k in the Phoenix Park tomorrow as local hope Linda Byrne targets victory in the women’s race in what promises to be a spectacular festival of racing.