Gregan hot in Helsinki

Brian Gregan will line up for today’s final of the men’s 400m at the European championships in Helsinki as a live medal hope after another impressive performance in the semi-finals that saw him claim automatic qualification by finishing second.

At this stage in his career, the 22-year-old Clonliffe Harrier, who was a silver medallist at last year’s European under-23 championships in Ostrava, has to approach every race as a final and he did just that in yesterday’s semi-final when his time — 45.76 secs — was just short of the pb he set at 45.91 in Wednesday’s first round.

Victory went to gold medal favourite, Pavel Maslak (Czech Rep) in 45.76 secs but Gregan’s powerful run down the finishing straight left Kacper Kozlowski (Poland), 46.54, and Eric Kruger (Germany), 46.68, scrambling for qualification as fastest losers.

Going into the semi-final as the fastest qualifier, Gregan was handed the prime lane six and he made the most of it by creeping up on the two athletes outside in the first 200m before tacking on the big boys on the bend.

“I knew I was going to get through in second (position),” he said. “I’m delighted with the time. Having run 45.6 and 45.7 back to back, that was a big time out there.

“I’m in the final now. I’ll go back, relax and hopefully I’ll run well again tomorrow. I know I can run faster than that. I think I’ll run really well again.”

At the European Championships in Budapest in 1998, Waterford’s Susan Smith made a bit of Irish athletics history when she won her semi-final of the women’s 400m hurdles to become the first Irish sprinter ever to win a semi-final at a major championships after setting the current Irish record at 54.31 secs a week earlier.

Jessie Barr, who also hails from Waterford, will rekindle memories of those achievements this evening when she lines up for the final of the women’s 400m hurdles after setting a new career best at 55.93 secs for fourth place in yesterday’s semi-final to qualify as one of the two fastest losers.

“I had the fastest of the semi-finals on paper,” she said. “There were three very quick athletes ahead of me so I was eyeing up fourth place.”

She has drawn Lane two for this evening’s semi-final but, unlike her first round heat when Lane one was vacant, she will have an athlete in the inside lane this time.

“There is going to be no holding back,” she said. “Lane eight suited me because I’m tall and I’m in the final now. The stadium was quite empty this morning but this time the race will be in the evening and the stadium will be full. The atmosphere will get the adrenalin going and drive me on. I thrive on the extra pressure.”

Barr’s younger brother, Thomas, featured in yesterday’s men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals but he failed to get through after finishing fifth in 50.22 secs, his second fastest time ever.

Stephanie Reilly (Sli Chualainn AC) qualified for tomorrow’s final of the women’s 3,000m steeplechase among the fastest losers after she finished sixth in her first round heat in 9:44.15.

Irish athletes in action today (Irish time)

10.30am: 200m Men round 1: Paul Hession and Steven Colvert; 12 noon: 200m Women round 1: Amy Foster. 6pm: 400m hurdles Women’s final: Jessie Barr. 6.25 pm: 200m: Men semi final; 6.55 pm: 200m: Women semi-final; 7.25 pm: 400m Men Final.