Mawdsley arrives on the World stage
By Shane Brophy
Sharlene Mawdsley came of age on the world stage after producing a number of top-class performances at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest this week, and there is potentially more to come.
Continuing her impressive form in 2023, including winning the national 400m title for the first time, the Newport Athletic club runner brought that confidence into the World Championships and showed her toughness in what was a busy schedule so far.
She started off on Saturday morning by running the anchor leg in the semi-finals of the 4x400m mixed relay where she ran a superb time of 50.14 to help her team of Sophie Becker, Jack Raftery, and Chris O'Donnell reach the final, which took place later that evening with Mawdsley again running a superb final leg, even quicker in 50.02 to help Ireland to an impressive sixth placed finish.
With less than twelve hours rest to the heats of the individual 400m the following Sunday morning, the fear was that having two hard races in her legs the previous day would compromise Mawdsley. She only had two hours sleep after coming down from the high of the previous night before tuning up for her heat, but the adrenaline was still flowing as she ran a new personal best of 51.17 to finish fourth in her heat and reach the semi-finals.
“When you are coming into a championship and running a personal best, it shows that my training has gone the right way,” Mawdsley said.
“To be in PB shape after two races was insane so I am really curious to know what I would have run if I had fresh legs but running off the adrenaline played into my performance as well.”
It was always going to be a tough ask to reach the final and whether the exertions of the previous two days had taken their toll, she ran outside her best, 51.78, to finish seventh in her semi-final on Monday night but 22nd overall finish in the world which is hugely impressive for the 25-year-old.
“It was a hard race,” she said of the semi-final.
“I felt every metre of it, my fourth race of the championships when it is most people’s second so being there today, I am really proud of myself. I am proud of the performance I gave even though it wasn’t quite what I wanted but I have to take it and move on to the one.
“This is the groundwork for me to take the next step and hopefully next year I can challenge the girls a little bit more.”
However, her world championships are not over yet and with a few days of welcome rest, she can retune for the 4x400m women’s relay, the heats for which take place on Saturday evening, with an Ireland team that should contain rising star Rhasidat Adeleke in with a good shot of making a final.
“I am really excited to see what we can do,” Mawdsley said.