Athletics: Mawdsley gets Irish off to flying start in Glasgow
TIED FOR SECOND: Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley powered home to dead-heat for second with two other athletes, clocking the exact same time – down to the thousandth of a second – as France’s Amandine Brossier and Norway’s Henriette Jaeger. The race was won by USA’s Talitha Diggs in 52.17.
Sharlene Mawdsley got the Irish team off to a fine start at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow this morning, the Newport sprinter finishing joint second in her 400m heat in 52.23.
Mawdsley was seeded fourth in the heat and needed a top-two finish to advance automatically, and after going through halfway in fourth, she powered home to dead-heat for second with two other athletes, clocking the exact same time – down to the thousandth of a second – as France’s Amandine Brossier and Norway’s Henriette Jaeger. The race was won by USA’s Talitha Diggs in 52.17.
“I’m absolutely buzzing with that, I actually planned to come fourth but with a fast time and I finished really strong so I’m really happy with that,” said Mawdsley. “I’ll go into the semi-final now and give it everything I have, I’ve absolutely nothing to lose. I think I shook a few heads there.”
Mawdsley, a world semi-finalist outdoors last year, said that championships in Budapest gave her “all the confidence” she has this year. She will line up for the semi-finals at 8.50pm tonight.
“I’m really looking forward to it, usually I’d be dreading it, but I’m buzzing,” she said. “I’ve everything to gain now, I’ve cemented myself in these surroundings – it’s where I want to be.”
World Indoor Championships: Live, BBC Two: 9.30am, 6.45pm; Virgin Media Two: 9.55am, 6.55pm
1.10pm: Men’s 60m Heats – Israel Olatunde
7.05pm: Women’s 1500m Heats – Sarah Healy
7.45pm: Men’s 60m Semi-Final – *Israel Olatunde
8.50pm: Women’s 400m Semi-Final – Sharlene Mawdsley
9.45pm Men’s 60m Final – *Israel Olatunde *Pending qualification
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