Busy schedule for Mawdsley at European Indoor Championships

By Thomas Conway

The prospect of another major indoor athletics championship will probably prompt mixed feelings for Sharlene Mawdsley.

While history will record 2024 as a breakthrough year for the Newport athlete, it wasn’t all plain sailing. Twelve months ago, she was disqualified from the semi-final of the 400metres at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, having been deemed to have obstructed another athlete. The decision was generally regarded as questionable, but it was surely a crushing blow the last six, and take it from there.

Ireland is sending a 19-strong team to the European Indoor Championships which run from this Thursday to Sunday in the modestly-sized Dutch city of Apeldoorn, located right in the heart of the Netherlands.

Mawdsley is among the most high-profile names on a team-sheet which also includes the likes of Sarah Lavin (60m hurdles), Andrew Coscoran (1500m) and Mark English (800m), all of whom expect to be in medal contention.

Mawdsley herself is not targeting a place on the podium, but rather a final berth. The 26 year-old is in formidable form. Now based in the UK under the guidance of trainer Tony Lester, she began her season with a new personal best (51.69) at the Scottish Indoor Invitational in Glasgow at the beginning of February, before sailing to a comprehensive victory in the National Indoor Athletics Championships on February 23rd, in a time of 51.91.

Mawdsley will firstly race in the 4x400m Mixed Relay final on Thursday night, beore taking part in the individual and Women's relay through the course of the weekend.

But in order to compete at the top end of her event, the 400 metres, Mawdsley will have to further reduce that time. Among the names being mentioned as potential medal winners are Dutch star Lieke Klaver, who nabbed a silver medal at last year’s World Indoors in Glasgow with a time of 50.16. That final was dominated by another Dutch star, perhaps their most famous athlete, 25 year-old Femke Bol, who swept to gold in a world record time of 49.17. Bol is widely regarded as one of the finest athletes of her generation. She produced one of the moments of last year’s Olympic Games in Paris, sensationally coming from behind to win gold in the final of the 4x400m mixed relay.

However, Bol made the decision not to compete in individual events in Apeldoorn, citing her need for a rest period following a heavy schedule in 2024. She will instead focus on the relay events and is set to compete in the inaugural 4x400m mixed relay, followed by the women’s 4x400. Both of those events will feature Mawdsley and Team Ireland, with a medal not beyond the bounds of possibility in each case.

At last June’s European Outdoor Championships in Rome, a thrilling mixed relay final culminated in a famous Irish victory. This year the team will be significantly depleted due to the absence of Rhasidat Adeleke and the recently retired Thomas Barr. The team will be composed of Mawdsley, Phil Healy, Rachel McCann, Conor Kelly, David Bosch, and Marcus Lawlor.

Similarly, Adeleke’s absence will diminish the prospects of the women’s 4x400m relay team, which is also without injured Olympian Sophie Becker, but a medal is still within reach if Mawdsley, Healy, McCann, Cliodhna Manning and Arlene Crossing perform to their maximum.