Athletics: Irish stars will pick battles in bid for relay glory

Ireland possess two of the best female athletes in the world at 4x400m relays - Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley.

ANCHOR: Sharlene Mawdsley will be key to Irish hopes in China. Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

For the Irish at this weekend’s World Relays in Guangzhou, China, the question is how exactly to use their vast firepower. In Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley, they possess two of the best female athletes in the world at 4x400m relays, and where they are deployed on day one will determine much about the Irish chances.

The two played starring roles in the Bahamas last year as Ireland won bronze medals behind USA and the Netherlands in the mixed 4x400m, and when winning European gold and finishing fourth in the women’s 4x400m at the Olympics. But the priority this weekend is on securing qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo, which will require a top-14 finish in each discipline. That should be a relative cinch for both the mixed and women’s 4x400m teams, given the strength in their ranks, but far more difficult for the men’s 4x400m.