'Everything we dreamed of' — Ireland claims Euros silver in women's 4x400m relay
Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley and Femke Bol of the Netherlands on their way to finishing second and first respectively in the women's 4x400m relay final at the European Championships. Picture: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
They could do no more. At the end of an exhausting, exhilarating six days in Rome, the Irish women’s 4x400m dug down deep and searched for one last superb, scintillating performance. And they found it.
They didn’t win gold in the European 4x400m final, but they did earn silver, a shining one, the quartet walking off the track draped in tricolours, beaming with justifiable pride.
There could be no regret, no shoulda-woulda-couldas or what-might-have-beens. They had produced the best performance ever by an Irish women’s relay team and got beaten only by the reigning world champions, with the unstoppable Femke Bol of the Netherlands running an anchor leg that was as composed as it was classy, saving her energy for the home straight, knowing the inevitable attack would come from that green vest and that formidable anchor runner: Sharlene Mawdsley.
The Irish obliterated their national record of 3:24.38, clocking 3:22.71 behind the Dutch (3:22.39), with Belgium third in 3:22.95. “This is everything we dreamed of: 3:22 and the national record,” said Becker. “I cannot believe it.” Before the race, the Irish had been “in the tunnel, cracking jokes, having the best time ever,” said Adeleke, their mood a relaxed one, even if the pressure was high.
Becker, a Wexford native, led them off, rocketing out of the blocks and fading slightly down the home straight but digging in to clock a 52.00-second split, handing over to Adeleke in sixth. The Dubliner was her rampant self through the opening 200m of the second leg, sweeping up to second before surging past 400m hurdles medallist Cathelijn Peeters of the Netherlands on the bend, her split of 49.36 putting Ireland out front as Healy took the baton for the third leg.
“I just wanted to make sure I put my team in the best position, my legs are a bit heavy,” said Adeleke.
Healy produced a hugely impressive split of 51.51 before handing over to Mawdsley in second, having been passed in the home straight with the Irish a few metres down on the Dutch as the deciding leg began.
Mawdsley played a patient game, saving her effort for the home straight, but Bol is an athlete who rarely gets beaten in that position, and despite a fine effort from Mawdsley – and a swift 49.84-second leg in her fifth race in six days – the Tipperary sprinter was unable to close down the Dutch star. But still, there was immense pride to be found in defeat, this being the best run in history by an Irish women’s relay team.
IT'S EUROPEAN SILVER FOR IRELAND🙌🙌🇮🇪
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) June 12, 2024
NATIONAL RECORD SMASHED⚡⚡⚡
THIS TEAM!!!!!! WOW!!!!👏🤩
Full result: https://t.co/Y7H4IG8MUt#Roma2024 #IrishAthletics @ask123ie pic.twitter.com/zSac9BhsKr
“When I looked up and saw Sharlene neck and neck with Femke Bol, I just thought, ‘It’s actually happening, I cannot believe it,’” said Becker. “We’ve all waited years for this relay team to make the podium and a 3:22 beside our name, it’s crazy, and very exciting for the summer ahead.”
For Healy, this was “the stuff of dreams,” given the Bandon sprinter has come back from an auto-immune condition in recent years to rediscover her best form. “There’s so many people who have helped me, I definitely contemplated retiring last summer many, many times, but this makes it all worth it.”
After her fifth race of the week, Mawdsley was a combination of exhausted and elated. “It was rough, I won’t lie,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was going to make that start line today, but the girls pushed me on, had every bit of trust in me and when I know the team have that much trust in me, it’s just get that baton and run with what I have left.
“I’m absolutely beyond exhausted at this point. I told myself the whole warmup it was just one more lap. The legs are a little bit dead today but to win a medal, I’m so thankful. There’s something special with this group of girls. I love them all.”
It was Adeleke’s third medal of the week, her second silver. “To be out there with the girls, and on top of that to win a medal – I couldn’t be prouder,” she said. “We worked so hard, we really deserved it.” No one could argue with that.
In 25 previous editions of these championships, across 90 years, Ireland had never won more than three medals at this event, its best previous showing coming in 1998 where Sonia O'Sullivan won double gold over 5000m and 10,000m and Mark Carroll won 5000m bronze.
But with the mixed relay gold on Friday, Ciara Mageean’s gold on Sunday, Adeleke’s silver on Monday and now this silver, they walk away with four. The bar has been raised, and with seven weeks to go before the athletics gets under way at the Paris Olympics, it was proof once again that Irish athletics is currently in a very special place.
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