Day 5 Morning Euros Recap: Ups and Downs as Relay Teams take Centre Stage

The morning session of Day 5 at the European Athletics Championships saw three Irish relay teams competing for spots in various finals.

First was the Men's 4x400m relay, with Jack Raftery, Christopher O'Donnell, Sean Doggett, and Callum Baird. Despite a solid performance, including impressive splits from O'Donnell and Baird, the team finished 5th. They recorded a season's best time of 3:04.41 but narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final.

Next up were the Women's 4x400m heats, with an Ireland team featuring Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Lauren Cadden, and Sharlene Mawdsley. They all performed exceptionally well, remaining competitive throughout the race. Sharlene Mawdsley delivered an outstanding final lap, surging ahead in the last 100 metres to move Ireland from 4th to 1st place, winning the race with a time of 3:24.81.

The final Irish relay team in action this was the Men's 4x100m team of of Toluwabori Akinola, Mark Smyth, Colin Doyle, and Israel Olatunde. Unfortunately it was not to be as they did not qualify for the final, finishing 7th with a season's best time of 39.34.

Day 5 Morning Session Results:

• Men's 4x400m Relay: 5th - 3:04.41 SB
  Splits:
  Jack Raftery - 46.68
  Christopher O'Donnell - 45.26
  Sean Doggett - 47.33
  Callum Baird - 45.14
• Women's 4x400m Relay: 1st - 3:24.81
  Splits:
  Sophie Becker - 51.64
  Phil Healy - 51.2
  Lauren Cadden - 52.12
  Sharlene Mawdsley - 49.76
• Men's 4x100m Relay: 7th - 39.34 SB
  Splits:
  Toluwabori Akinola - 10.94
  Mark Smyth - 9.41
  Colin Doyle - 9.75
  Israel Olatunde - 9.24