Name: Sharlene Mawdsley
Club: Newport AC
Event: 400m, Mixed 4x400m and Ladies 4x400m
Personal Best: 50.71
Tokyo Schedule: Sun 14 Sep Heats 11.25am. Semi-Final Tue 4 Sept 1.05pm Final: Thurs 16 at 2.24pm
TOKYO UPDATE
Sharlene Mawdsley finished 4th in her heat and quali,fied for the semi-final as one of the six fastest loosers overall. In a heat that consisted of Sydney McLoughlin-Leverone and with Mawdsley drawn in lane 8, the Tipperary athlete had no choice but to go out hard from the word go. She has now reached the world championship semi-finals. "It is such a relief and a weight off my shoulders. I am so proud" said indicated after the race.
Background
Nothing defines Sharlene Mawdsley’s ability more than her anchor leg on any 4x400m relay. An embodiment of grit, determination and talent. A talent that was nurtured in her home club of Newport AC in Tipperary – and carefully channelled towards her later teenage years where she first represented Ireland in the SIAB international over 200m in both 2013 and 2014. The following year at just 17 years old, she made the final in the same event at the European u20 Championships in Sweden. She was also a member of the 4x400m relay that took 4th place in the final. Unknown to the young Sharlene, the seed was being sown for future relay developments. That relay team was 5th in the World Championships in Poland a year later and 4th in the European u20 in Hungary in 2017.
Representing Ireland at u23 level Mawdsley moved up to the 400m individual and 400m relays. Her career took off. World Relays, European and World Indoors, World and European Outdoors and Olympic Games, she has competed in them all. None will be more memorable than that balmy night in Rome where she anchored Ireland’s mixed 4x400m relay to a European gold. Even the mighty Femke Bol could not catch her. A week later she took the ladies’ team to silver medals. Although she did make the individual 400m final in Rome, she probably sacrificed her own 400m placing in favour of the relay doing well. She was that week the engine that kept on running.
Last year she changed coaches to Tony Lester and competed in the European Indoors in Apeldoorn earlier this year. Unfortunately an injury she sustained after the mixed relay kept her out of action for a few months. Back on track again she opted for the 200m at the National Championships which she won. Steady improvements over the summer see her approach Tokyo in good shape ready to take on another relay challenge and of course progress through her individual 400m too.
The current National 200m champion has won five national senior titles. Tokyo will be her third World Championship appearance as a relay member and second for the individual 400m. While either team is not the same as the one that won medals in Rome, we have no doubt that Sharlene Mawdsley will be steadfast in her determination to take that baton around the track in her usual determined fashion.
International Majors
2015: European Championships u20 Sweden 200m 8th Final
2015: European Championships u20 Sweden 4x100m 4th Final
2016: World Championships u20 Poland 200m
