Red-hot Sharlene Mawdsley smashes PB again with win in Brussels 

FLYING IT: Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley is in stellar form. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Sharlene Mawdsley took another big step forward by smashing her personal best for 400m to win at the IFAM Outdoor meeting in Brussels on Saturday.

The Tipperary sprinter clocked 50.17 seconds to better the 50.52 personal best she ran at the Savona International Meeting in Italy on Wednesday. In Brussels, she again dominated the race from start to finish, coming home almost a second clear of Belgium’s Helena Ponette (51.15).

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞🤩

Sharlene Mawdsley has just smashed her PB in Belgium, clocking 50.17 to improve on the 50.52 set just three days ago🙌⚡

ℹ️1st place in Heat 1

Results: https://t.co/9FQiWOAfRm#IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/9ALsZt2kn2

— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) May 23, 2026

It continues a fine early-season run of form from Mawdsley who, with a rolling start, produced a spectacular final leg of 48.34 seconds to help the Irish women’s 4x400m team to victory in the second qualifying round at the World Relays in Botswana earlier this month. The Irish 400m record is the 49.07 run by Rhasidat Adeleke to win silver at the 2024 European Championships.

Meanwhile at the European 10,000m Cup in La Spezia, Italy, Niamh Allen led the Irish women to silver medals in the team event, the Leevale athlete coming home fifth in the women’s A race in 32:15.79.

Fiona Everard lowered her personal best to finish 10th in 32:41.28, while Sorcha Nic Dhómhnaill rounded out the scoring, which was based on cumulative time, finishing 20th in 33:19.00. In the men’s race, Oisin Gallen was the leading Irish finisher, coming home 26th in 29:17.30.

Meanwhile, Nick Griggs was in action at the British Milers Club meeting in Belfast, the European U-23 cross country champion finishing second in the mile in 3:57.76, with victory going to Britain’s Joseph Tuffin in 3:54.76.