Impressive Thomas Barr right on track for Beijing

Thomas Barr was in scintillating form at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational Meet in Florida on Friday, winning the 400m hurdles in 49.08 seconds — a world championship qualifying time.

The Ferrybank athlete was well inside the qualifying time of 49.50 for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Beijing in August, and he remains unbeaten this season. Barr won the Irish University Championships earlier this month and has assured himself of a place on the men’s 4x400m relay team at the World Relay Championships in the Bahamas next week (May 2 to May 3).

The other three places on the relay team still remain very much open after a number of Irish athletes competed over 400m in Florida. Brian Murphy (Crusaders) was the fastest in 47.51 with Brian Gregan (Clonliffe Harriers) and Richard Morrissey (Crusaders) both running 47.69 while Timmy Crowe (Clonliffe Harriers) ran 48.33.

A women’s 4x100m relay team will also compete in the Bahamas and Bandon’s Phil Healy competed in the 100m and 200m in Florida, clocking times of 11.78 and 24.72 respectively.

Sarah Lavin (UCD) ran 14.00 seconds in the 100m hurdles, her specialist event, and also ran the 200m in 25.16.

At the Thomond Games in Limerick, an Irish junior women’s 4x100m relay team clocked a time of 46.17 seconds, which was inside the qualifying standard of 46.20 for the European Junior Championships in Sweden in July.