Going into the Olympics, Thomas Barr's status as a world class athlete was known. Uncertainty about his fitness left doubts about how he would perform in the 400m hurdles.
On Tuesday night, in his semi-final, Thomas Barr blew those doubts away with a stunning performance.
Barr won his semi-final, setting a national record in the process. Beyond the record, he also made Irish athletics history by becoming the first Irish athlete since Bob Tisdall in 1932 to reach an Olympic sprint semi-final.
The Waterford athlete was interviewed after the race by RTE. Let there be no doubt, he is hugely optimistic about the semi-final.
I can't wait for the final. Like I said today, I kept telling myself 'this is wide open'. And it is still wide open.
Here's the interview.
A thrilled Thomas Barr looks forward to a 'wide open' Olympic 400m hurdles final https://t.co/ul9puAw2Ri
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 17, 2016
