Friday D-day for Sharlene

By Shane Brophy

Sharlene Mawdsley is among a 22-strong Ireland team taking part in the European Indoor Athletics Championships being held in Torun, Poland, this weekend.

12.10pm today (Friday) will be the time the Newport Athletic Club runner will take to the track in round 1 of the women’s 400 metres, along with teammates Phil Healy and Sophie Becker. All three set new personal bests at the recent micro-meet in Dublin, which acted as a event for athletes to try and meet the qualification standard for the European Championships.

It will be the first time the 22-year-old University of Limerick student has competed in a major senior championships and is something she hasn’t planned for in the short term.

“I didn’t really expect it,” Sharlene said, speaking to the Guardian of her performance in the micro-meet.

“I was hoping to run a PB (personal best). I didn’t even know what the standard was for the European Indoors before I went out and raced so when the race finished and I had gotten the standard was a bonus and to be able to go.

“When I spoke to my coach about it, he wasn’t even questioning whether I should go or not, it was 100% go.”

Sharlene won’t be the only local involvement in the championships as Noelle Morrissey, owner of Eason Nenagh and coach to Irish sprinter Ciara Neville, is also heading to Poland as Irish sprint team manager for a European Championships that have the potential to be hugely successful for on form Irish athletes.