Sharlene Mawdsley: 'We need to get into this final, challenging for medals, not just sitting at the back'

FINAL AMBITIONS: The World Relays are important, in and of themselves, but in Olympic year they’re critical, with a top-14 finish in each event ensuring qualification and favourable lane seeding at the Games also on offer. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Chances like this don’t come around often, and two of the leading lights of Irish athletics fully intend to take them. Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley have much in common, having plied their trade in their teenage years over 200m and risen to become world-class seniors at 400m.

Both were crushed to be overlooked for Olympic selection for the mixed 4x400m relay three years ago, and both will, barring injury, be in Paris this year for the individual 400m. But in the Bahamas this weekend, they can ensure Ireland will also have a women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m team in Paris.

The World Relays are important, in and of themselves, but in Olympic year they’re critical, with a top-14 finish in each event ensuring qualification and favourable lane seeding at the Games also on offer. As such, it’s promising that the two Irish teams are loaded to capacity, with Mawdsley and Adeleke the two most lethal weapons in their ranks.

Both teams will have two shots to qualify. Tonight, they’ll compete in round one of each event, where a top-two finish would secure Olympic qualification and a spot in tomorrow’s finals. But teams that fall short of that will then be spread across three races in round two tomorrow, the top two in each of those also securing a spot at the Games.

The Irish have good cause for optimism, having so often finished in the top-eight at global level in recent years. “It’s not a case of, ‘hopefully we can get into a final’, we’re going in like, ‘we need to get into this final, challenging for medals, not just sitting at the back,’” said Mawdsley. “Ideally on day one we’d be auto qualified.” Most of the Irish did a training camp in Florida last week, with Adeleke joining them in Nassau earlier this week. While we don’t know what form the Dubliner is in over 400m, her wind-assisted 10.84 for 100m last weekend proves her speed is the best it’s ever been.

Having been ruled out of the women’s 4x400m in Budapest last year due to a back issue, the 21-year-old is delighted to rejoin her compatriots on this stage. “It's putting on the Irish vest again and running for something more than yourself,” she said. “I absolutely love doing the relays and I love that motivation and determination you get.” 

She will join Mawdsley tonight in the heats of the mixed relay at 12.29am Irish time, where Britain will be favoured but Ireland look capable of netting a top-two finish to reach the final and with that, secure Olympic qualification. At 2.13am. Mawdsley and Adeleke will be back on track for women’s 4x400m heats, with Ireland again drawn alongside Britain.

They are seeded sixth in the mixed relay and 10th in the women’s 4x400m and with the talent in their ranks, both teams seem capable of surpassing that. But what will matter most is that ticket to Paris. As Adeleke put it: “We can definitely do it.” 

World Relays: Live, Eurovisionsport.com, 11.55pm