Sharlene Mawdsley marked her return from injury with victory in the women’s 400m at the 62nd Palio Città della Quercia in Rovereto, Italy, on Tuesday evening.
Competing for the first time since suffering a hamstring tear at the National Track and Field Championships in Santry in July, Mawdsley showed that she had lost none of the form which carried her to a string of personal bests earlier in the season.
Running from lane four, the Tipperary athlete remained composed through the opening half of the race before finishing powerfully down the home straight. She came through to take victory in 50.58 seconds, beating Britain’s Charlotte Henrich into second place.
It was the sixth fastest 400m of Mawdsley’s career. She has only run quicker on five occasions, recording times of 50.06, 50.14, 50.17, 50.28 and 50.52, all during a remarkable 2026 campaign.
The injury suffered in July forced Mawdsley to withdraw from the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where she had been selected for the individual 400m and women’s 4×400m relay.
Little more than six weeks later, Mawdsley is not only back on the track but back under 51 seconds. A winning return could hardly have gone much better.
Watch the full race below:
