Name: Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC), Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrocks AC), Rachel McCann (North Down AC), Cliodhna Manning (Kilkenny City Harriers), Jenna Breen (City of Lisburn) and Michelle Duggan (UCD)
Event: Ladies 4x400m Relay
Personal Best: 3:19.90 NR
Tokyo Schedule: Sat 20 Sept 12.00 noon
Background
The talented group of Irish 4x400m relay runners that we have at the moment made the nation proud in 2024. 5th in the final at the world indoors in Glasgow, 2nd in the European Championships in Rome (setting a new national record) and then an absolutely outstanding performance at the Olympic Games in Paris where the team finished fourth with another new national record. Then there has been the auto Q that they received from the World Relays in Nanjing this year.
The composition of the team has changed over the past few years, a testimony to the competitiveness for places and the increasingly fast times these girls have been achieving. Ireland has over the past number of years built a reputation for its relay ability – even at u18, u20 and u23 level teams are achieving. Thus, feeding the pipeline that has been built.
The team did have Rhasidat Adeleke at the Olympic finals but there have been several other occasions where Adeleke did not race. For example, at the World Indoors in Glasgow last year – the team of Sharlene Mawdsley, Sophie Becker, Phil Healy and Roisin Harrison finished 5th. Only Mawdsley and Becker have had a consistent presence on the team for the past five years.
Sharlene Mawdsley and Sophie Becker will also have to balance individual schedules along with the potentially the Mixed 4x400m. It is a lot to carry – but it has been done before. We look forward to seeing what form these bunch of resilient ladies can produce.
International Majors
2022: World Championships Oregon 8th Final
2023: World Championships Budapest 8th Final
2024: European Championships Munich 6th Final
2024: World Relays Bahamas (Auto Q Olympics)
2024: World Indoor Championships Glasgow 5th Final
2024: European Championships Rome 2nd Final
2024: Olympic Games Paris 4th Final
2025: World Relays China (Auto Q for Worlds)
2025: World Championships Senior Tokyo
Personal Bests
Mixed 4x400m Relay: 3:19.90 NR 2024 Olympic Games