Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley impress for Ireland at European Team Championships

Ireland are in the hunt for promotion at the European Team Championship. 

Jack Raftery became the second Irishman in history to break 45 seconds for 400m. Pic: Nikola Krstic/Sportsfile

Two superb 400m runs by Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley, along with a 4x100m national record by the men’s relay team, put Ireland firmly in the hunt for promotion after the first day of the European Athletics Team Championships in Maribor, Slovenia on Saturday.

Raftery became just the second Irishman in history to break 45 seconds for 400m when clocking 44.98 to finish fourth in the men’s race, while Mawdsley made a hugely impressive return to racing – the Tipperary sprinter clocking a season’s best of 50.93 to finish third in the women’s race.