Mawdsley bounces back but is aiming for more

After the disappointment of failing to be selected to compete at the Olympic Games in 2021, SHARLENE MAWDSLEY fuelled it to have a terrific 2022 season, including a record-breaking performance in the European Championships in Munich. THOMAS CONWAY caught up with her to review her year.

Even on her darkest days, right after Sharlene Mawdsley had been axed from Ireland’s 4x400 metre mixed relay team for the Tokyo Olympics, the Newport athlete never stopped believing.

It is now almost fifteen months since the 25-year-old suffered that crushing blow. In the time since she has competed at two major championships and delivered a series of auspicious performances despite being hampered by injury and illness.

But the memory of what happened to her in July 2021 still cuts deep. Her omission from that Olympic squad seemed painfully unfair, at least to the naked eye. On the track she responded instantly, recording a personal best at a meeting in the Netherlands.

But the psychological torment of missing out on Tokyo was, for that couple of weeks, almost unbearable. She had to learn to overcome it, and eventually, she did.

“I came to the realisation that no one was disappointed in me, that they were disappointed for me,” she said.

“And I think that’s what kind of pushed me through, because for those three weeks leading up to the Games, I was just really down. I just felt like I had disappointed everyone, and when I realised that that wasn’t the case, I think it helped to get me through it all.”

Life at the top-table of international athletics is brutally tough. There are twists and turns at every corner. Even the best laid plans can be derailed by sudden, unexpected setbacks. On the face of it, Mawdsley produced an impressive 2022 season, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

Her flow was twice disrupted by Covid-19, at critical junctures during the indoor and outdoor seasons. A glute injury made life even more difficult for the 400-metre runner. She reflects on the year with a hint of frustration, but also a note of optimism. Her own personal assessment seems a tad harsh, but Mawdsley is ambitious. She knows her own potential, and she feels that she is capable of more.

“I want to say I was happy with the season, but I wasn’t delighted,” she said.

“I know that as an athlete I have a lot more to give. When I put it all into perspective though, I was still at every major championship that there was this year, so I really can’t be disappointed, but I just know that I have so much more to give. I know the level of training that I put in last year, and I was probably in better shape than what I produced, if I’m being brutally honest. And I think my coaches would agree with that because we do have higher expectations.”

Elite-level athletes train agonisingly hard. The intensity of the sessions vary, but Mawdsley's routine remains broadly similar throughout the year. She tries to structure it so that she trains six days a week, with double sessions on some occasions. Much of it takes place on the track, but the Newport woman and her coach - former Irish sprinter and Tipperary man Gary Ryan - have opted to put an increased emphasis on gym work this winter.

In other words, she’s pumping iron. Not to bulk up or add size, but to increase her explosive power out of the blocks and maintain pace over the final 100 metres. She knows that optimum performance is only achieved when the body is completely primed. Practice and preparation lead to perfection. That’s what separates the best from the rest.

In her discipline, the 400 metres, the best will take catching. For years, the event has been dominated by Bahamas powerhouse Shaunae Miller-Uibo and American icon Alison Felix. Mawdsley had the privilege of competing alongside Felix in her last ever race at the World Championships in Oregon earlier this year. It could have been a daunting prospect, but the Newport woman wasn’t fazed. She was determined to embrace it.

“That was a different experience because obviously Alison Felix is a huge sporting legend,” she added.

“And a race like that, where you’re up against an icon of the sport, should probably be a little intimidating, but I remember saying to myself that I’m just going to take in all of the emotion, I’m just going to take in this experience.

“Because after not going to Tokyo, I was just so heartbroken, and I said to myself that I need to just soak in every opportunity that I’m given.”

For Mawdsley, Oregon was eye-opening.

Munich, on the other hand, was exhilarating. The atmosphere in the Olympiastadion for this year’s European Championships was rousing. The Germans are devoted to their athletics, track & field, and they showcased that devotion to the world in the Bavarian city last August.

Along with the exploits of emerging talents, Israel Olatunde and Rhasidat Adeleke, as well as the gutsy silver-medal-winning display of Ciara Mageean, the performances of the Irish women’s 4x400 relay team provided some of the highlights of the championships.

Mawdsley is proud of what she and her teammates achieved in Munich. Clocking a national record, and then beating it again in the final, was a serious achievement. But the Tipperary athlete is keen to emphasise that she is far more than just a relay runner. She also wants to flourish on the individual stage. In hindsight, she was disappointed with her display in the heats of the individual 400 metres in Munich. She felt she had more in the tank, more to deliver.

“It’s hard for me to say that I was a little bit disappointed when I know how many people were so happy for me,” she said. “But individually, I want to be at a stage where I’m at the World Championships and the European Championships competing in the 400m.

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