European bronze medalist Thomas Barr admits it is doubtful whether he'll race again in 2020 and said it was ultimately a relief when the decision was taken to postpone the Tokyo Olympics by a year.
The 28-year-old Waterford native, who finished fourth in the 400m hurdles at the Rio Olympics in 2016, is likely to concentrate on training for the latter half of the year as he seeks to reach his peak for next summer in the Far East.
The National Championships in Santry have been re-scheduled for the final weekend of August this year, two months later than their usual slot.
And speaking to RTÉ for the upcoming 'Tokyo 2020: One Year To Go' programme (Thursday, 30 July, 10:15pm, RTÉ 1), Barr remains unsure whether he'll be competing at the north Dublin venue next month.
"I've kind of scrubbed off competitions this season. I have been offered one or two lanes in August but I won't be ready for races then unfortunately.
"If I am ready to go then, or if there's anything later in September, I might potentially race. Other than that I'm just happy to get into the groove of training.
"I don't think so (on competing at Santry). If I'm fit enough and I'm ready to go for nationals, I will race it but I think I'm going to get much more benefit from going into a solid block of training at the moment.
"But I do love nationals and it would be a pity to miss it so I'm going to wait and see and make that call."
Though the year was shaping up well for Barr following an indoor personal best in Athlone in February, the hurdler said that it was ultimately a relief when the word came through that the Olympics had been postponed for a year.
"I was in really good shape. I had run a PB in the indoors over 400m in the AIT Grand Prix in February. And that was when we got hit with the lockdowns. I was in a good place, it was looking like a really good year. But it is what it is, there was nothing we could do about the way it was panning out.
"The biggest relief was when the decision was actually made to postpone the Olympics. For a while, we had no idea were we preparing for a games this summer, or were we preparing for a games that was going to be postponed until October, or were we preparing for a games that was going to be in 2021.
"I had no facilities to train. I purchased a load of gym equipment and set up a gym in the sitting room at home, so that was the closest I could get to a gym. And then I was trying to make the track sessions work on grass or tarmac.
"It was very difficult to train at an Olympic level without the Olympic facilities - without a track. I was away from my training group which is a big thing for me because I love going to training, I enjoy being around the group, it's good craic.
"Without the decision being made, it was becoming difficult to stay motivated for a target that you had no idea when it was coming. So, for me it was nearly a relief when they made the announcement that it was going to be postponed until 2021 because it took the pressure off us trying to train in haphazard conditions - you're trying to find roads or grass pitches where it's going to be suitable to train and I'd no access to hurdles. So, it was a relief in that respect.
"Coming off the back of my performance in Rio, I was hoping to be in better shape this time around. And compared to the shape I was in back in January-February 2016, I was in much better shape this year. The pinnacle of every athlete's career is to get to the Olympics but to get there in good shape is just as important and I felt I was really ramping up.
"So it was disappointing but I was taking comfort in the fact that I wasn't the only one going through that. Everyone was in the same boat, there was a much bigger deal in our hands which was the coronavirus.
"I didn't feel bitter or feel sorry for myself and I think the right decision was made."
With the pandemic still ongoing, there has been speculation that even the summer 2021 date is too optimistic and the Games may not go ahead, or perhaps go ahead in a rather abridged or small-scale form.
Yoshiro Mori, former Japanese prime minister and now President of the Organising Committee, said the games would not go ahead at all if they couldn't meet the 2021 date.
All this talk whirls about but Barr isn't yet concerning himself with it.
"I haven't paid any attention to that. I'm going with the decision that it is going ahead in 2021. If it does it does, if it doesn't go ahead, that's something that's out of my control and I'm still going to train away with the facilities we have. I'm going to leave that to the higher ranks and higher powers and whatever happens happens."
Watch Toyko 2020: One Year To Go on Thursday at 10.15pm (RTÉ1)
Evanne Ní Chuilinn and Peter Collins look at the impact the Olympic and Paralympic postponement has had on athletes, coaches and organisers. Those involved reveal how they are affected on a sporting and personal level, and how they have redrawn their plans for the coming 12 months.
