Mawdsley to line up at star-studded National Track & Field Championships
By Thomas Conway
2026 has already been somewhat of a rollercoaster season for Sharlene Mawdsley and it is by no means over yet.
Having clocked four PBs, made her Diamond League debut and signed a contract with Nike, all within the space of a couple of months, the 27-year-old has probably never entered a National Track & Field Championships in better form or fitness.
Mawdsley has been on a rising trajectory for a number of years now but in the past few months she has ascended to a different level, arguably establishing herself as Ireland’s most potent 400-metre runner, given that Rhasidat Adeleke is currently struggling for form.
Both women were in action on the European circuit last week – Mawdsley clocked 50.46s to finish fourth in the 400m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting in Madrid, while Adeleke also finished fourth in the 200m in an event in Lucerne, Switzerland last Thursday.
There is a chance, however, that both Mawdsley and Adeleke will actually square off in the 200m in Santry next weekend.
What should be an intriguing final is scheduled for 3:25pm on Saturday, and it could, theoretically at least, feature Mawdsley, Adeleke, and sprinter Lauren Roy.
The race will matter more to Adeleke than to the others. The 23-year-old has yet to achieve the qualification standard for August’s European Championships in Birmingham.
As far as the 400m is concerned, she is already out of the running, and has instead chosen to invest all her effort into making the cut in the 200m.
She needs to run 22.85s or quicker in order to qualify for the Europeans and Saturday will represent her last chance to do so.
Mawdsley, on the other hand, is entered in both the 200 and 400 metres in Santry next weekend. She is unlikely to run both, and may opt to focus on just the one event when the time comes.
That will most likely be her signature distance, the 400 metres, the final of which takes place on Sunday evening at 7:00pm.
The Tipperary woman’s PB now stands at 50.06, just shy of the 50-second barrier. She has made no secret of her desire to medal at the Europeans, but she will almost certainly have to run a sub-50 time to do so.
There was some expectation that she would break that threshold last week in Madrid, but it didn’t come to pass.
Mawdsley is far from the only Tipperary involvement in this year’s Nationals. Moyne AC sprint sensation Katie Bergin will most likely feature in the 100m and possibly the 200m. One of Bergin’s main objectives will be to cement a place on the Irish 4x100m relay team for Birmingham.
Nenagh Olympic’s Paraic Hassett will also be in the mix and will be searching for at least a PB in the 200m and potentially the 400m, while young Templemore AC sprinter Joe Burke will remain absent due to injury.
Last weekend in Carlow, Nenagh Olympic’s Laura Frawley secured the national senior Heptathlon crown, making her second only to Kate O’Connor in the country. Bruree native Frawley, 22, is a rising star and is certainly making her mark. She is also likely to feature in Santry next weekend.
As the Irish team gears up for the Euros, there will likely be an electric atmosphere in Santry. There always is, on the cusp of a major championship. Stars such as Mawdsley, Adeleke, Sarah Healy and Cian McPhillips are likely to capture the headlines, but for them it will be less about the medals and more about the times.