Thomas Barr boldly goes fourth

It was the hope that killed him. At the end of the most important race of his life, Thomas Barr leaned for the line with every fibre of his being, hoping but not knowing whether it was enough for a medal in the men’s 400m hurdles yesterday afternoon.

So he lay there waiting, exhausted, staring up at a giant screen that he wished — oh boy, did he wish — would flash his name up in third place. What he saw next hit him like a kidney punch: Yasmani Copello, TUR, 47.92.

The initial reaction was one of disgust, but when he saw it there in objective numbers — his place, his name, his country, his national record — he couldn’t repel the surge of overwhelming pride: Thomas Barr, IRL, 47.97.