Sharlene Mawdsley Set for Diamond League Debut in Paris Next Sunday Evening

Sharlene Mawdsley is set to make her Diamond League debut next Sunday evening after being named on the start list for the women's 400m in Paris.

Ireland's fastest women's 400m runner this season and European medallist has progessed well over the past two seasons. Now she will get her first opportunity to test herself on athletics' premier one day circuit against some of the biggest names in the sport.

Mawdsley arrives in Paris in the form of her life after lowering her personal best to 50.14 seconds earlier this season. With the 50 second barrier now firmly in her sights, Sunday's race offers another opportunity to chase a landmark breakthrough performance.

The task facing the Tipperary athlete could hardly be tougher.

The field is headed by Olympic champion and world leader Marileidy Paulino, who has already run 48.91 this season. Also lining up are Poland's Natalia Bukowiecka, Cuba's Roxana Gómez, Dutch star Lieke Klaver, Czech sensation Lurdes Gloria Manuel and Jamaican international Stacey Ann Williams, all athletes with personal bests under the 50 second mark.

On paper, Paulino will start as the clear favourite, while Bukowiecka, Manuel, Gómez and Klaver are expected to battle for the remaining podium positions. Mawdsley enters the race with the sixth fastest season's best in the field, but recent performances suggest she is more than capable of mixing it with the established Diamond League regulars.

A finish in the top half of the field would represent another significant statement from the Irish athlete, while a fast race could provide the perfect opportunity to finally dip beneath the 50 second barrier for the first time.

Also in action for Ireland will be Sarah Healy, who returns to the Diamond League for the second time this season.

She switches back to the 1500 metres for her second Diamond League appearance of the season, radiating confidence after a very solid performance in Rome earlier this month. Stepping up to the 5000 metres at the Stadio Olimpico, Healy utterly destroyed her personal best with a superb 14:48.88, comfortably securing her qualification for next month's European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

The race features a world class field led by Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull and Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell, alongside Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu, Australia's Linden Hall and France's Agathe Guillemot.

While Hull and Hunter Bell appear the most likely contenders for victory, Healy's season's best ranks among the quickest in the field and another sub four minute performance looks well within reach.

A place in the leading pack and another run in the 3:56 to 3:57 range would continue what has already been an outstanding season for one of Ireland's most exciting middle distance talents.

The final Irish interest in Paris comes in the men's 1500m, where Andrew Coscoran is set to make his third Diamond League appearance of the season.

The Balbriggan athlete arrives in excellent form having clocked 3:31.65 over 1500m at the Rabat Diamond League before running an outdoor lifetime best of 3:49.68 for the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo.

Another strong field awaits in Paris. World class names including Dutch star Niels Laros, France's Azzedine Habz, Olympic medallist Jake Wightman, American Hobbs Kessler, Kenya's Reynold Cheruiyot and Australian prodigy Cameron Myers are all listed among the entries, with several athletes carrying personal bests well inside the 3:30 barrier.

Having already secured qualification for the European Athletics Championships, Coscoran can focus on sharpening his form ahead of the championship season.

TV coverage will be brought via Virgin Media & BBC from 5pm to 7pm.