Mawdsley’s impressive season start continues with another National title
By Thomas Conway
Sharlene Mawdsley has taken her career to a new level over the past eighteen months, and on Sunday she successfully defended her National 400m indoor title.
In lane 6, the Newport AC athlete left her main rival, Olympic relay teammate and Bandon AC athlete Phil Healy (53.25s), trailing in her wake, whistling home in a time of 59.91s.
It should be said that Rhasidat Adeleke remains the nation’s preeminent 400m sprinter but she is on the college circuit in the United States, and regularly posts outdoor times in sub-fifty second territory.
Behind her however, Mawdsley leads the line. The 26 year-old Newport native is widely regarded as a redoubtable relay runner, but her individual times have improved significantly in recent years.
Speaking to RTÉ after the medal ceremony, Mawdsley expressed disappointment at not recording another personal best, as she had done in Glasgow a few weeks previously, where she posted a time of 53.69.
"It's a sub-52 and I'm still disappointed but, you know, that's three runs in two days and I was definitely feeling fatigue. But to come away with the title, I'm really, really happy,” she said.
She also signalled her intent ahead of the European Championships in the Netherlands in a fortnight’s time, indicating that securing a place in the final is her overriding objective.
"I want to get into that (European) final, that's no secret, so hopefully just get through one round at a time in Apeldoorn,” she added.
Following last summer’s Olympic Games, Mawdsley made the decision to switch coach and spends more time in the UK, under the stewardship of Tony Lester, a former military officer who has coached a number of Olympic medal-winning athletes and recently returned from a stint with the Danish Athletics Federation.
Among Mawdsley’s training partners are the Nielson twins, Lina & Lavai, both of whom were part of the UK’s 4x400m women’s relay team last summer, that pipped Ireland to the bronze medal.