Mawdsley confirmed for European Indoor Championships

After an impressive start to the season which included winning the National Indoor 200m title last weekend, Sharlene Mawdsley has been selected on the Ireland team for the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul next month.

The Newport Athletic Club runner will compete in her favoured event, the 400 metres along with Sophie Becker and Cliodhna Manning.

They will be coming up against Dutch star Femke Bol, who broke the 40-year-old world record in the 400m at her National Championships earlier this month, improving Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 49.62 world record, which was set in 1982, by 0.33 seconds, stopping the clock at 49.26.

Round 1 of the women’s 400m takes place on Friday morning with the semi-finals in the evening and final on Saturday evening.

The Irish trio will also be part of a strong Ireland 4x400m Relay squad which goes straight into the final on Sunday evening and includes fellow Tipperary runner, Miriam Daly from Carrick-on-Suir Athletics Club.

The team also includes twice European Indoor 800m medallist Mark English, World Indoor 60m Hurdles finalist Sarah Lavin, Commonwealth Games Hepathlon medallist Kate O'Connor and recent national 60m record breaker Israel Olatunde.

Athletes may yet be added to this team should an eligible athlete move into a qualifying spot on the 'Road to Istanbul'.