Thomas Barr breezes into European semi-final in Munich

The 30-year-old booked his spot in the 400m hurdles semi-finals. 

LOOSENER: Ireland’s Thomas Barr celebrates winning his heat of the Men’s 400m hurdles

Fast start, steady middle, strong finish – and with that Thomas Barr is back in a European semi-final. At the Olympic Stadium in Munich this morning, the 30-year-old produced a slick display to coast to victory in his 400m hurdles heat, clocking 49.49.

Barr, a bronze medallist at the last edition of these championships in 2018, had attacked the first bend, eating up the stagger on chief rival Ramsey Angela of the Netherlands, which allowed him to slip into cruise control on the final turn. But when Angela attacked him again coming towards the 10th barrier, Barr was forced to dig in and sprint to the line, edging victory to boost his chances of a good lane in tomorrow’s semi-final.