'That's so special' - Mawdsley's blazing anchor leg books Irish 4x400m team spot at Worlds

QUALIFIED: Ireland’s Rachel McCann, Sophie Becker, Arlene Crossan and Sharlene Mawdsley celebrate. Pic:©INPHO.

A spectacular final leg of 48.34 seconds by Sharlene Mawdsley carried the Irish women’s 4x400m team to victory in their repechage at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana on Sunday, thereby securing qualification for next year’s World Championships in Beijing.

The Irish had come up short of finals in each of the three events they contested over the weekend – the women’s 4x400m, mixed 4x400m and women’s 4x100m – but their victory in the repechage made their 9,000km journey to Botswana worthwhile.

They hit the line in 3:23.83 ahead of France (3:24.48) and Jamaica (3:25.38).

“We’ve given performances we can be so proud of,” said Mawdsley, whose split was the fastest ever by an Irishwoman. “This women’s team has been together for the longest time and we thought, ‘Let’s give ourselves a performance to be proud of.’ And we did that.”

48.34 anchor from Sharlene Mawdsley to qualify the 🇮🇪Irish women's 4x400m for the world championships #WorldRelays pic.twitter.com/wic1U0vngu

— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) May 3, 2026

McCann led them off with a 52.35-second opening leg, handing over to Becker who split 51.84, with Crossan having a huge run on the third leg, splitting 51.30. 

“The relay is won in the home straight and the two girls put me in a really good position,” said Crossan. “I wanted to give it to Sharlene in a good position, and I did that.” Mawdsley took the baton in third, but the Tipperary sprinter produced the best anchor leg of her career to power into first early in the home straight, securing one of the two qualifying spots available for Beijing next year. The previous fastest split by an Irishwoman was the 48.45 clocked by Rhasidat Adeleke at the 2024 World Relays.

“I like to chase and I knew if I got it in third, close by the Jamaican, we could come second but we won,” said Mawdsley, who was Irish team captain for the event. “I can see the trust everyone has in me and that’s so special. I don’t take that role lightly and I’m already looking forward to the next championship.” With just over three months until the European Championships in Birmingham, the performance ignited hopes that Ireland can emulate the medal-winning feats by the women’s and mixed 4x400m teams in Rome in 2024. 

“It’s only May, there’s still months to go until the Europeans and we’re coming in with a gold and a silver from two years ago,” said Becker. “There’s pressure on us, but in a good way. I think we’ll rise to the occasion.” 

Having targeted the mixed 4x400m on Saturday – and with insufficient time between races to allow a double on Sunday – Mawdsley and Becker both switched their focus to the women’s 4x400m for day two, which left a below-strength Irish quartet struggling in the mixed 4x400m repechage.

The team of Jack Raftery, Jenna Breen, Sean Doggett and Erin Friel finished seventh in 3:19.34, seven seconds down on the time Ireland had run with Mawdsley and Becker on board the previous day – today’s race won by South Africa in 3:12.77.

Meanwhile, the Irish women’s 4x100m team of Precious Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville, Mollie O’Reilly and Sarah Leahy finished fourth in their repechage, clocking 44.25 in a race won by Australia in 42.88.

They didn’t finish in the first round on Saturday after a botched final exchange and similar issues arose again between O’Reilly and Leahy, who lost several metres at the final changeover after some failed attempts to hand off the baton.

Elsewhere, Seán Tobin and Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill stormed to victory in course records at the Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon on Sunday morning.

Tobin had struggled with injuries and illness over the past year but the 31-year-old Clonmel athlete was delighted to win his first competitive half in 63:11. Dundrum South Dublin’s Paul O’Donnell was next best in 63:43, with John Travers third in 63:54.

“I got in front at 2km and probably pulled 100 metres ahead but I knew, based on the claps from the crowd, that if I let up at all from 16km onwards that Paul could sweep by me,” said Tobin. “So I kept the foot down and felt incredibly smooth the whole way."

Nic Dhomhnaill, a 41-year-old schoolteacher from Newcastlewest in Limerick, clocked a course record of 71:25 to win the women’s title.

“Conditions were perfect, there was no headwind and I kept the pace pretty steady,” she said. “My plan was to break 72 minutes so I’m delighted with that. I’ve been off work for the past year because I had a baby last April. I’m going back to school on Tuesday after a year off so, thankfully, it’s a bank holiday weekend and I can recover tomorrow.” 

Maebh Brannigan set a PB in second of 74:47 with Sheila O’Byrne taking third in 76:43.