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THOMAS BARR announced his retirement from athletics after a decorated career filled with “magic memories”.

Barr, 32, represented Team Ireland at three Olympic Games, culminating at Paris 2024.

Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

@TomBarr247

It was Barr’s third Games, compared to McGrory’s first[/caption]

@kellymcg24

Kelly often shares cute snaps of them together[/caption]

Instagram/tombarr247

With their dog ‘Buddy’ who passed away last February[/caption]

In an emotional retirement statement released on Wednesday, the Waterford man insisted he had “cherished every moment”.

The magic memories made in France were made alongside his partner Kelly McGrory, who was making her Olympics debut.

While Barr largely made his name as a hurdler throughout his lengthy career, he’s now associated with last year’s mixed relay gold medal at the European Championships.

Kelly similarly competes in the 400m hurdles and 400m flat.

Marking their joint-achievement, the 31-year-old Barr shared a sweet photo of them trackside.

He captioned it: “Two tickets to Paris please! What an absolute honour it is to be selected for my 3rd Olympics alongside my better half for her 1st!!!

“There is no greater sporting honour than representing Ireland at an Olympic Games and the journey to get there is never easy, but worth it.”

The Waterford man and his Donegal girlfriend have spoken in the past about how much of a benefit it is to their relationship that they understand each other’s trials and tribulations as elite athletes.

In 2022 McGrory told Donegal Live: “It’s cool that both of us are in the same sport.

“There is a good understanding with each other about what’s needed.

“We set the bar high for each other. We’re in the same training group and more or less do the same training.

“When we’re into season, everyone’s programme is tailored depending on when the person is trying to peak.

“Thomas is off to the Worlds now and he was tapering at different times, but it’s great that we’re in the same group.”

Barr famously came within .05 seconds of a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Now a bit of a silver fox, he’s become known for being a guiding figure for Ireland’s prodigious crop of new sprint stars such as Adeleke and Israel Olatunde.

McGrory, 27, has had to display a significant amount of resolve in her career to get this far too.

She’s overcome persistent injury problems to bank a career-best year on the track so far in 2024.

The Tir Chonaill Athletics Club product set a new personal best in Rome at those same European Championships where Barr won gold.

She clocked 57.10 seconds in the 400m hurdles final which ensured she wound up in seventh place in the standings.

Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

THE United Nations has been accused of going “rogue” and failing to provide information on the death of hero Irish soldier Private Sean Rooney in Lebanon.

Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O’Murchu said it was a disgrace that the international organisation had failed to provide vital information about the deadly incident to Sean’s family, the Dublin Coroner’s Court and the Irish Government.

Garrett White - The Sun

It had refused to provide two different reports needed for Sean’s inquest and was ignoring diplomatic efforts led by the Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

Deputy O’Murchu, who comes from Dundalk where the 23-year-old soldier was based, fumed:  “Sean Rooney paid the ultimate price and gave his life peacekeeping for the United Nations.

“And yet this same organisation is refusing to provide the crucial information that is needed by both our Government and the Dublin Coroner’s Court in establishing how exactly and why he died.

“They are also trying to ensure that mistakes in terms of protocol, and decision making that put soldiers’ lives at risk are not repeated.

“I have been in Sean’s grandfather’s house and pride of place is a framed letter there from the UN paying tribute to Sean.

“Yet the same people won’t provide the information that the family and the Irish authorities need to get to the bottom of what happened.

“The United Nations is behaving like a rogue state by not co-operating and it has to stop.

“Sean Rooney and his family deserve justice and we all must ensure it happens.”

The Taoiseach Micheal Martin confirmed that the UN had failed to respond to the Dublin Coroner’s request to access two reports on investigations it carried into the incident that led to Sean’s death.

He was killed when a convoy of Irish peacekeepers he was travelling with were ambushed in December 2022 going through a village in south Lebanon.

SEVEN ARRESTED

A preliminary Inquest last July was informed that issues had arisen over restrictions on the disclosure of information from the UN and the completed reports had not been made available.

The UN had not responded to the request from the Coroner via the Department of Defence and Foreign Affairs for a copy of these reports to be given to him.

Seven men were arrested over Sean’s murder but so far only one has been charged.

A hearing of the Lebanese criminal court dealing with the case is due to be held in Beirut on February 12 next. The Irish Government will have legal representation present.

Deputy O’Murchu added: “The UN needs to respect the memory and sacrifice of Sean Rooney and give his Inquest their full cooperation.”

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A LEGENDARY jockey is back in the big time in racing – after spending £230,000 on a ‘talking horse’ at the Cheltenham sales.

Hugely popular former rider Richard Johnson was the man behind the monster bid for five-year-old gelding Starzand.

https://twitter.com/TattsCheltenham/status/1884572202730734041

PA

The Grand National eluded him… but Richard Johnson won pretty much everything else during his amazing career as a jockey, including the Gold Cup twice[/caption]

A two-time point-to-point winner, Starzand was bought by David Lewis of Gwent Holdings with the hope of turning into a top 3m chaser.

He is by former Derby and Irish Derby winner Harzand, an up-and-coming sire who already counts the hugely promising Triumph Hurdle contender Hello Neighbour among his progeny.

Johnson purchased the horse in conjunction with Johnson White, who co-trains with Philip Hobbs at their Somerset base.

Should Starzand ultimately head their way then there will be considerable pressure on them to turn him into a winner.

He can be expected to follow a route from bumpers to hurdles and ultimately the top prizes over fences, with Cheltenham Festival success the goal.

Starzand was dubbed a ‘talking horse’ by prospective buyers because of his considerable potential, and was the one everyone buying at the auction wanted.

Johnson, 47, was in tears when he retired on live TV in April 2021, after finishing third in a race at Newton Abbot.

His amazing career saw him crowned champion jockey four times in a row from 2016 and win the Gold Cup twice.

But he has branched out into ownership since hanging up his whip – and that includes spending big at the sales.

Commenting on his latest purchase, Johnson said: “Everyone wants winners at Cheltenham and that is where we want to get.

“This looks a lovely horse, and will be one for the future, he is a proper long-term three-mile chaser and it might take him two years for him to reach his potential.

“We loved the horse, he’s got the form in the book and we thought he was right for the owner.

“I was hoping we’d get him for £150,000! You never want to spend more than you have to.

“But he was always going to be an expensive horse. He ticks a lot of boxes and was never going to be cheap.”

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