Sharlene Mawdsley might have been less conspicuous compared to Rhasidat Adeleke during the recent World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas, however, it was Mawdsley that stole the show this past weekend. Adeleke did grab many headlines for recording the fastest-ever 400-metre split at the event.
Yet, Mawdsley’s stellar performances during the single-lap runs at the relays charted the path for an impressive weekend. As the anchor of both the mixed and the women’s 4x400m relay squads, she helped secure their Olympic placement and contributed to their subsequent bronze medal win in the mixed finals. She further cemented her position by booking her individual 400-metre spot, improving her previous record of 51.09 to 50.72 during the victorious run at Memoriał Janusza Kusocinskiego meet in Chorzow, Poland.
Not only was her record of 50.72 well below the 50.95 automatic mark for Paris, but it also moved her up to the second position in the all-time Irish rankings behind Adeleke, surpassing former record-holder Joanne Cuddihy. Prior to this, Cuddihy was the only Irish female athlete to run under 51 seconds, holding a record of 50.73 seconds set during the 2007 World Championship semi-finals in Osaka.
Sharlene Mawdsley, the 25-year-old from Tipperary, posted a jubilant “I did it” on her page, signalling her anticipation at competing in her first-ever Olympics. She had missed out on the Tokyo Olympic selection, despite achieving qualification in the mixed relay.
Mawdsley could not have achieved all this without the guidance of her coach Gary Ryan, originally from Tipperary himself. As a two-time Olympian in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, Ryan has been a strong support for Mawdsley since 2018, especially during a period when she was on the verge of stepping back from the sport.
Though her individual Paris qualification does pose a similar quandary to Adeleke, the challenges arise from the mixed 400-metre relay taking place on the opening day of the competition, two days prior to the individual event. Competing in both isn’t ideal. Mawdsley, who participated in both the relay and individual events at the World Championships in Budapest last year, managed to improve her personal 400-metre record to 51.09 at a meet in Zagreb in September, despite the gruelling schedule of six races in a week.
At the same Chorzow event, Nick Griggs bettered his 1,500m record to 3:35.90. For the first time, this young athlete from Tyrone broke the 3:36 mark, surpassing his previous best of 3:36.09 achieved in Nice the previous July. This also secured him automatic qualification for the upcoming European Athletics Championships in Rome next month, and provided all-important ranking points as he seeks to qualify for the Olympics through this route.
Adeleke once more proved her mettle against world-leading sprinters, securing fourth in the 200-metre at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix on Saturday. Running against a -0.3 headwind, Adeleke achieved 22.45 seconds, just shy of her Irish record of 22.34 seconds clocked in Florida the year before.
US standout Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone nabbed the victory with a personal best 22.07, followed by fellow Americans Abby Steiner and Brittney Brown. McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach, Bobby Kersee, disclosed that she will return to the hurdles this summer as it is her main event.
The 21-year-old sprinter from Dublin finished ahead of Gabby Thomas, a Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and World Championships silver medallist. Though somewhat dissatisfied with her start, she views it as a vital learning experience as she prepares for the 400 metre in Paris. Adeleke confessed, “I popped up straight away, and once I realised I did that, I was trying too hard to get back into the right form… it’s part of the game and we go on to the next one.”
McLaughlin-Levrone, the phenomenal athlete who recently shattered the world record in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympics and clinched the gold in the 2022 World Championship, has decidedly narrowed her focus for the upcoming Paris competition to the same event. This may potentially offer some respite to Adeleke and other 400-meter flat specialists.
[ Rhasidat Adeleke is expected for Olympic relay qualification, as shared by Sharlene Mawdsley]
Bobby Kersee, McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach, pointed out that her return to the hurdles in the summer competition is due to the fact that it is her principal event. He stated they aim to uphold their Olympic championship.
Meanwhile, in other events, Efrem Gidey, the Dublin-based runner, made a commendable performance over the weekend by scoring the second quickest time in the 10,000-metre run in Irish history. He recorded 27:40.00 in the Night of the 10,000 metres PBs in London, barely missing Alistair Cragg’s Irish record of 27:39.55 by finishing seventh.