Athletics: Mawdsley marches into European semi-final on mixed morning for Irish in Istanbul

A morning of mixed fortunes for the Irish at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

SEMI-FINALS: Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley on her way to finishing second and qualifying for the semi-finals.Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

It had been a forgettable, frustrating start for the Irish at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul yesterday, and that trend continued on day two, with a raft of sub-par performances on Friday morning amid the occasional ray of light.

In the women’s 400m heats, Sharlene Mawdsley’s run fell into both categories, her performance far from what she wanted, but ultimately providing what she needed, advancing her to Friday evening’s semi-finals, where the Newport native has a gilt-edged chance to reach a European final.