THERE will be at least one Irish representative at this evening’s opening IAAF Diamond League fixture in Doha with Thomas Barr lining up in the men’s 400m hurdles.
Ireland’s athletes take to the track at a number of other locations this weekend as the pace heats up ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing this August.
Barr gains his place with the global elite following a 49.08 seconds victory at the Tom Jones Memorial Meeting in Florida on April 24. The performance was good enough for him to earn the Athlete of the Month Award from European Athletics. The Waterford athlete followed that up with an impressive 45.13 seconds 4 x 400m relay leg in the Bahamas.
Barr will face a strong field this evening, including world leader Bershawn Jackson of the United States who has run a time of 48.47 seconds this year, and the Ferrybank athlete could be pulled inside his current national record of 48.90 seconds.
Ireland’s distance runners will also be looking for fast times at the Highgate Harriers Night of 10Ks in London tomorrow.
European Indoor 1500m finalist John Travers steps up to contest the 25-lap race for the first time.
He is joined by Mark Kenneally, Brandon Hargreaves and Mick Clohisey. Maria McCambridge is the sole Irish representative in the senior women’s event.
A quartet of Irish hurdlers will contest the Loughborough International on Sunday with North Down’s Ben Reynolds competing in the 110m hurdles where he will go head to head with Carrick-n-Shannon’s European Indoor representative Ger O’Donnell.
Northerners Jason Harvey and Christine McMahon contest the respective 400m hurdles events.
Also on Sunday Donegal man Brendan Boyce and Leevale AC duo, Alex Wright and Luke Hickey, will be competing in the 20KWalk at the European Cup of Race Walking in Murcia, Spain.
