Thomas Barr has been a mainstay on the Irish athletics scene since 2012, when he finished fifth in the semi-final of the 400m hurdles at the European Championships one month before his 20th birthday.
Barr has gone to win a medal at the European Championships in 2018 and finish fourth at the Olympics in Rio in 2016.
This is despite his seasons often being hampered by niggles.
"This is my sixth consecutive Europeans since 2012," Barr told RTÉ Sport.
"Touch wood I don't do anything stupid in the next few days and put myself out of it. Wherever I end up I will be very, very happy, I do want to get to a final."
In the last edition of the European Championships in 2022, Barr failed to progress from the semi-finals.
"In Oregon and Munich (2022), I was hampered with Achilles injuries and I wasn't on good form then.
"I wasn’t moving well, and I wasn’t really happy with my performances, and I wasn’t happy in the sport at that stage," Barr reflected of a challenging year.
The Waterford man was fully sidelined for the first time last year, missing the World Championships in Budapest. But this has only acted as fuel for the fire coming into the 2024 season.
"That was a really bitter kind of a blow because I've never missed a major championships," he added.
"I've always had little niggles, I've had injuries. I've had injuries at the worst possible time, but last year was a very, very tough one because I've never missed a championships.
"I definitely do feel like I have a point to prove now this season."
Given Barr's steady record of making championships, it does leave some wondering about what could have been if it wasn't for his injury record.
The two-time Olympian does believe, however, that the 400m hurdles isn't just about fitness in championship scenarios, and said: "I do have a huge amount of experience of any scenario that can be thrown at me on the track.
"One thing is to maintain a cool head and use my 'smarts' when it comes to racing, where my fitness or my speed might not up to scratch, then the 'smarts' really can pay dividends in the 400 hurdles."
Barr is a big believer that anything can happen in championships and feels that giving the top-12 ranked athletes a bye into semi-finals takes away from true championship racing.
"I have always said it, whether I was ranked in the top 12 or not. I think it's extremely unfair, I think it's a silly system that the top 12 get a walk over or a bye to the semi-final," opined Barr.
"At a championships anything can happen, it should be wiped clean. It should be a clean slate, you get yourself there and everyone comes in on the same.
"Especially in a technical event like the hurdles. Someone can hit a hurdles or mess up a stride pattern who is a technical favourite.
"In Rio in 2016, Javier Culson, a favourite for a medal, false started and put himself out of the race. That kind of stuff can happen when it comes to championships."
Barr goes on to explain that he isn't a fan of the effect of the system that was introduced in 2016 and was also used in the last edition of the Championship in 2022.
"That's what I think is exciting about championships. It takes away a little bit of that excitement and magic of a championships when you are being a little bit more favourable to the top 12 athletes."
With the struggles of 2022 and 2023 behind him, Barr is enjoying the season so far, despite once again having a less than ideal build-up.
"If I told you how much training I had done over the hurdles since January, you would think I was lying. I only had a couple of sessions.
"It wasn't really my safe space or a confidence place for me to be going in with very little actual hurdle preparations," he said of his first three races of the season.
Despite minimal hurdle work, Barr has had one of his most consistent winters and feels confident that it will stand him in good stead.
"I was extremely very fit, until I picked up a couple of niggles and that's (fitness) not going to disappear, I just need to top up that and get a little bit of sharpness."
With 12 years on the international stage behind him and in an event that has seen a shift in talent, the Waterford man is honest about his current position but still has belief in his abilities.
"It's going to take a 48-low (seconds) if not even a 47 to get into the medals, I think.
"Am I in that shape at the moment? I'm probably in like high-48, low-49 shape at the moment but we have some fine-tuning to do over this next week or so, which will hopefully bring me down that little bit more.
"If I can get into a final, we know once you get into a final anything can happen," Barr insisted.
The recent success of the mixed 4x400m team at the World Relays in the Bahamas has boosted Barr ahead of a busy season.
"It was a great way to start the season, to go out there on day one and qualify two teams for the Olympics, the mixed and the women's relays, it was unbelievable.
"I definitely took a huge amount of confidence from it.
"I really do enjoy this part of the year, so I did take a huge amount of energy and motivation from that championships to then bring into my individual performances as well," he added.
Another circumstance that has changed Barr's mindset is his possible impending retirement, but this is something that he views in a positive light.
"It is still in the back of my mind that this could be my last season, but with that in mind it's not a bad thing because I'm not taking things for granted."
Barr has spoken previously about reaching the twilight stage of his career and while he is not ruling out a return to the track in 2025, it's hard to see how that will transpire without an exceptional summer. There is only so long one can be sustained by the last gasp.
"I'm going to see how it plays out," admitted Barr.
With all of this in the back of his mind, Barr is saying 'yes' to as many opportunities as possible.
"I am definitely ensuring I get the most I can out of it," Barr said.
"I know it will be a big summer, but I'm not turning down any opportunities, because I don’t know how much longer it might last."
Barr, who turns 32 in July, admits he loves racing on the biggest stage in both his individual event and the relay, and said: "I have always loved relays and always loved having it alongside my individual event as well because I love racing and the more racing I can do at a major champs the better."
A love of the sport can make it even harder to say goodbye, but Barr intends to go out on a high, whenever that may be.
"There is an element of a good thing coming to an end and an element of sadness with that, but I am also using it as fuel to say, if this is my last year, then I am going to do everything I can to be in the best position I can and to enjoy the year and perform as best I can. Go out with a bang!"
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