'I’m going to give it my best shot' - Thomas Barr considers going out on a high in Paris 

The experienced Irish athlete may well call it quits after the upcoming Olympics - but he'll wait and see.

LOW BARR: Team Ireland Olympian and 400m hurdler Thomas Barr, alongside from left, Nathan Hunt, aged 10, Kate Culhane, aged 6, Niamh Jones, aged 7, Noah Gray, aged 9, Ciara Culhane, aged 9, and Ciara Jones, aged 9. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile 

It’s best not to call it a swansong, at least not yet, but as Thomas Barr gears up for an Olympic year he knows he’s heading into the home straight of his career.

“I’m thinking, ‘this is the last rough winter I’ll have to go through,’” he says. “But I’m leaving the door open (to continue in 2025). I’m not calling it my final year just yet, but I’d be very happy to walk away at the end of this year and leave it at that, depending on how it goes. I could end up ending on a very high note or on another injury or low note, but I’m going to give it my best shot and then see where we stand.” What might life look like after athletics? For Barr, there’s both anticipation and uncertainty.