Irish women's 4x400m team book Tokyo spot at World Relays

TOKOYO QUALIFIED: The Ireland women's 4x400m relay team, from left, Sophie Becker, Rachel McCann, Sharlene Mawdsley and Rhasidat Adeleke after winning the women's 4x400m World Championship Qualifying Round 2. Pic: Nikola Krstic/Sportsfile

The Irish women’s 4x400m team of Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Rachel McCann and Sharlene Mawdsley secured qualification for the Tokyo World Championships with a commanding performance to win their second qualification round in Guangzhou, China today.

Mawdsley produced another foot-perfect anchor leg to carry them to victory in 3:24.69 ahead of Australia (3:27.31) and Switzerland (3:32.37), leaving them with an overall 12th-place finish.