Mawdsley class inspires Ireland book World ticket

By Thomas Conway

In her column in The Irish Times last Friday, Sonia O’Sullivan noted that the World Athletics Relay Championship have in recent years proven “an important springboard” for Irish athletes, helping to put the country’s relay teams “on the world map”. The challenge last weekend in Botswana, she declared, was to ensure they stayed there.

In the end, however, it was hard to conclude that Ireland are near the top of the pecking order when it comes to some of these events, although there is one significant exception. The women’s 4x400m relay remains a formidable force, largely thanks to the scintillating firepower of Sharlene Mawdsley. The 27 year-old Newport athlete catapulted her team - which included Rachel McCann, Sophie Becker & Arlene Crossan - to victory in the repechage on Sunday, thus securing qualification for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing.

Mawdsley produced another one of her sensational trademark anchor legs, the best of her career so far, recording a time of 48.34s, carrying Ireland from third position into first on the final leg. It was an extraordinary feat, the fastest such leg in Irish athletics history, quicker even than the 48.45 recorded by Rhasidat Adeleke in the Bahamas two years ago.

The absence of Adeleke - who chose to stay away in order to focus firmly on her individual 400 metre aspirations - was always going to prove a significant blow. But insert her into the team and, with Mawdsley in this form, suddenly you have two sub-50 second runners - surely enough pace to power into contention at any major championships.

The European Championships in Birmingham are on the horizon in August. Ireland will be looking to medal, like they did two years ago. With a full team, they are more than capable of securing a place on the podium.

Speaking to Irish Athletics after the race, Mawdsley, who was Irish captain for the event, was typically gracious:

“Honestly, I can see the trust that everyone has in me and it is so special,” she said.

“I don’t take that role lightly at all, and it really is super special. I’m really looking forward to the next championships - whoever the captain is, I'm definitely going to help them out every step of the way.”

It remains difficult to pinpoint where exactly these relay championships sit on the hierarchy of global athletics competitions. The World Relays often catch the eye for the exotic locations in which they take place. Last year, it was Guangzhou in China, while in 2024 it was the Bahamas. This year the championships were in Gaborone, the capital of the southern African nation of Botswana, a sparsely populated country of 2.5 million people with a landscape dominated by the Kalahari desert and a sporting culture dominated by Letsile Tobogo, the sensational 22 year-old sprinter who stormed his way to an Olympic gold medal in the 200 metres at Paris 2024.

Saturday was a disappointing day for the Irish. All three teams, the aforementioned women’s 4x400m quartet, the mixed 4x400m team and women’s 4x100m outfit failed to progress from their heats, but they were each given another chance on Sunday, falling into the repechage.

While the women’s team delivered, it came at the expense of the mixed team. Both Mawdsley and Sophie Becker were held back to compete in the women’s 4x400, weakening the mixed team. Ultimately, the quartet of Jack Raffety, Jenna Breen, Seán Doggett & Erin Friel finished seventh, clocking a time of 3:19.34.

Mawdsley wasn’t the only Tipperary athlete to make the near 10,000km journey to Gaborone. Moyne AC’s Katie Bergin, whose career trajectory is steadily and consistently rising, was selected on the women’s 4x100 squad.

A senior indoor and an outdoor national champion at various levels, the UCC student did not get a run out in Gaborone, but her selection was significant given the fact that she only made a return to competition from injury at the start of the year.

Ultimately, the team of Precious Apke-Moses, Ciara Neville, Mollie O’Reilly & Sarah Leahy were unable to secure a top two spot in their repechage, clocking 44.25. Speaking afterwards, Neville noted the squad’s “depth” and said they would “build on that performance for the rest of the season”.

There was some history over the weekend. 18-year-old Kilkenny woman Mollie Daly, a member of the 4x400m squad, became the third generation of her family to represent the country on the international stage, following in the footsteps of her mother, father and grandfather.