Sharlene Mawdsley advances to the 400m semi-finals at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Representing Newport AC, she competed in the morning’s heats, where a thrilling race ended in a photo finish.
Mawdsley, alongside Norway’s Henriette Jager and France’s Amandine Brossier, finished with a time of 52.23, behind the winner Talitha Diggs of the United States.
Initially appearing as the fastest qualifier, Mawdsley’s position was adjusted later due to the photo finish, ensuring all three athletes progressed to the next round.
“I’m absolutely buzzing with that,” she told RTÉ Sport’s Greg Allen afterwards. “I planned to come fourth but with a fast time, but while my time was a bit slow, I finished strong so absolutely happy with that.
“I’ll go into the semi-final and give it everything I have and I’ve got nothing to lose. I think I shook a few heads there, I’m cementing myself in these surroundings right now. It’s where I want to be, maybe a little bit better but one day at a time and it’s a great journey to be on.”
“I’m going into this evening thinking this is just another run. I’m really looking forward to it, normally I’d be dreading it, I’m buzzing.”
Sharlene Mawdsley Aims for Personal Best in 400m Semi-Final
Sharlene Mawdsley is eyeing a personal best (PB) time of 51.91 as she heads into tonight’s semi-final. She believes achieving this milestone will leave her feeling ecstatic about her performance in these championships.
Mawdsley has been assigned lane four for the first semi-final, which bodes well for her strategy. However, facing tough competition from Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands and Talitha Diggs in lanes five and six respectively, advancing to the final six will be a challenge. Yet, her favorable lane placement may work to her advantage, with three spots up for grabs for tomorrow’s final.
Additionally, Mawdsley is expected to be a key player in the 4x400m relay team, set to compete in the heats on Sunday morning, aiming for yet another global final appearance.
In other events this afternoon, Israel Olatunde will compete in the men’s 60m heats at 1:10 PM, while Sarah Healy will participate in the 1500m event at 7:05 PM.
Olatunde, although having raced sparingly this season, is a proven championship performer, having been a finalist in the 2022 European 100m event. He will likely need to clock around 6.65 to secure a spot in the evening’s semi-final.
Meanwhile, UCD’s Healy enters the meet in excellent form, having recently broken the Irish indoor 1500m record with a remarkable time of 4:03.83. Ranked fifth in her season’s best, she aims to improve upon this performance and secure a place in Sunday’s final, where Ethiopian athletes are expected to dominate the field with the top-three rankings.