Siblings aim to jump final hurdle and join A team

Jessie Barr and her brother Tom will have an eye on Olympic qualification when they line up for their respective first round heats of the 400m hurdles at the European track and field championships in Helsinki today.

Both are remarkably close to A standards they must achieve to book their places in London where a brother and sister competing in the same event would make a bit of Olympic history.

Jessie has beaten the B standard twice in the past year. She got under it for the first time at last year’s European U23 championships in Ostrava, where she finished fifth in the final of the 400m hurdles in 56.62 secs and, in May of this year, she posted a new PB of 56.16 to move closer to the A standard, set at 55.55.

Leading performance coach Hayley Harrison, who coaches both Ferrybank athletes at UL, is confident Jessie and Tom will achieve the standard in Helsinki, although she admits she is somewhat puzzled by the fact Tom, who has a PB of 50.06 but who has not yet achieved the B standard, is actually the closer of the two to the A mark of 49.50.

“I suppose that’s the nature of the event,” Irish Olympic team manager, Patsy McGonagle, said. “But Jessie sees this as a big opportunity for her to achieve the A standard which I feel is well within her capability. She certainly showed that she is in form coming here.”

Jessie goes in the second of the four first round heats today, drawing the less favoured lane two and, with five of the seven athletes in her heat having run faster, she faces a tough assignment — one McGonagle insists will bring out the best in her.

“She is the athlete in form and she is very focused,” he said. “I will be very surprised if she does not get through.”

The fact the weather took a turn for the better yesterday will also help.

Thomas Barr and Jason Harvey both drew the prime lane five in their heats of the 400m hurdles. Harvey goes in the first and Barr in the fourth of six first round heats, with the first three to qualify along with the six fastest losers.

Beijing Olympian Joanne Cuddihy will also get her women’s 400m campaign under way in lane five in the last of four heats, with the first three in each heat and the four fastest losers going through.

Sprinters Amy Foster and Jason Smyth have early starts with Foster in the second of four heats of the women’s 100m, the first three and four fastest to go through, while Smyth, bidding to become the first man to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics in the same year, goes in heat two of the 100m with the first four and four fastest to go through to this evening’s semi-finals.

Irish in action today (Irish time)

8am: Women’s 100m round 1: Amy Foster

8.50am: Men’s 400m hurdles round 1: Tom Barr, Jason Harvey.

9.40am: Men’s 100m round 1: Jason Smyth.

11.35am: Men’s 400m round 1: Brian Gregan.

12.30pm: Women’s 400m hurdles round 1: Jessie Barr.

3.50pm: Women’s 400m round 1: Joanne Cuddihy.

6.05pm: Women’s 100m semi-final: Amy Foster*.

6.15pm: Men’s 100m semi-final: Jason Smyth*.

Irish in action tomorrow (Irish time)

8.30am: Women’s 400m hurdles semi-final: Jessie Barr*.

9.40am: Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase round 1: Stephanie Reilly.

11.15am: Men’s 400m hurdles semi-final: Tom Barr*.

3.15pm: Women’s 400m semi-final: Joanne Cuddihy*.

4.30pm: Women’s 100m final: Amy Foster*.

4.40pm: Men’s 400m semi-final Brian Gregan*.

5.45pm: Men’s 100m final: Jason Smyth*.*If qualifying.