Sharlene Mawdsley anchor leg helps Ireland seal mixed relay World Championships qualification
With perhaps a little more fuss and some fury the Irish mixed 4x400m relay finished second in their heat on day one of the World Athletics Relays.
Sharlene Mawdsley
produced another sterling anchor leg to help secure their automatic qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
On a rainy night at the Guangdong Olympic Stadium in Guangzhou, China, securing qualification for Tokyo was the priority of the Irish mixed quartet, who will now contest Sunday's final with medals and prize money on the line.
The team included three members of the quartet that won bronze in last year's World Relays in the Bahamas,
Rhasidat Adeleke
once again producing a brilliant run on the second leg, the 22-year-old moving Ireland from fourth to second behind the USA.
READ MORE
They've done it!! 💥
Tokyo World Championship qualification secured & straight through to tomorrow's final🙌
⏱️Second place in 3:12.56WQ
Full result:
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics)
Cillín Greene lost a little ground on the third leg, Ireland left chasing the USA and Poland, Germany also close in fourth, before Mawdsley once again proved her value to the team, moving into second around the final bend to get past Poland and ensure the second-place finish.
The USA won in 3:11.37, ahead of Ireland's 3:12.56, Poland third in 3:12.70.
After a midafternoon downpour, the rain had eased off by the time the relay heats got under way. With 17-year-old Conor Kelly running the first leg – his senior outdoor debut – Ireland were always in contention, Adeleke taking up the baton in a close fourth although the changeover wasn't the smoothest.
Guangzhou presented two chances of Tokyo qualification. After a re-draw of the heats on Friday night, the top two in each of the mixed heats were automatic, plus the two best-placed teams thereafter. The remaining teams go through to the repechage round on Sunday, where the top two in each of the three heats will also qualify for Tokyo.
After the top 14 teams are known, the remaining two places in each event for Tokyo will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period.
🗣️ 'We've qualified for Tokyo, that's what we came here for.'
Hear from our Mixed 4x400m Relay team after they finished second in their heat and qualified for the World Championships in Guangzhou! 🙌
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics)
The mixed relay was the first of three Irish teams in action on day one in Guangzhou, and started heat two ranked third fastest of the seven starting teams. Ireland's 3:09.92, set in winning European gold in Rome last June, only marginally slower that Poland (3:09.87). The USA topped the list with 3:07.41.
Mawdsley called on all her experience in racing past Poland's Justyna Swiety Ersetic on the last leg, and it's likely Ireland will start with a different line-up in Sunday's final. Belgium won the first heat in 3:11.83, with Team GB winning the third heat in 3:13.28.
Ireland's 3:12.56 ranks them fourth of the eight finalists.
The women's 4x400m and men's 4x400m are also in action this afternoon, taking to the track at 1.53pm and 2.23pm respectively.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
GAA Championships – Catch all today's football and hurling action as it happens
Live | As the GAA's football and hurling championships reach the business end, we have a feast of action today. With Dublin's hurlers and footballers involved in do-or-die clashes at Croke Park against Limerick and Cork respectively, there is also a plethora of top class games across the country. Catch all the action here. All-Ireland SFC – Prelim. Quarter finals: Kerry - Cavan (3.30pm, GAA+) Dublin - Cork (6.15pm, GAA+) All-Ireland SHC – Quarter finals: Dublin - Limerick (4pm, RTE2) Galway -Tipperary (6.15pm, RTE2) Ladies All-Ireland SFC – Round 3: Tipperary - Donegal (1pm, TG4) Armagh - Kildare (2pm, TG4 YouTube) Leitrim - Waterford (2pm, TG4 YouTube) Mayo - Cork (3pm, TG4) Ladies All-Ireland SHC – Round 4: Cork - Clare (2pm) 2 minutes ago Good afternoon and welcome to another live blog covering all the action from the Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships. My name is Ultán Corcoran, and I will be keeping you up to speed with events around the country. We have a full schedule this Saturday with no less than 9 games taking place around the grounds with action from preliminary quarter-final stage of the All-Ireland football series, two All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals, as well as football and camogie from the Ladies All-Ireland championships. In terms of coverage, Kerry vs Cavan is our first port of call in football with throw-in at 3.30pm. The action overlaps a bit as Dublin face Limerick in the hurling at 4pm from Croke Park. Finally, we will try keep you up to speed with the football clash of Dublin-Cork and the second hurling quarter-final between Tipperary and Galway which both start at 6.15pm. GAA+ on Twitter / X This weekends fixtures on GAA+ 🖥️👇🏼 GAA+ (@GAAPlusOfficial) June 16, 2025
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Live GAA updates: Follow the action as Cavan travel to Kerry for preliminary quarter-final
2.55pm Good afternoon everyone. Welcome along to our Examiner Sport liveblog of what's shaping to be a Saturday scorcher of Championship action. The stakes have risen with the temperatures. What you can smell in the air is the peril of straight knockout competition. On deck in the coming hours we have a pair of All-Ireland preliminary quarter finals in the football Championship and two All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals. It's Joe Callaghan here to help navigate the first half of a hectic day. I hope everyone has their sunscreen handy for the afternoon throw-ins, starting with the visit of Cavan down to Fitzgerald Stadium to face Jack O'Connor's Kerry, with a 3.30pm throw-in. Tony Leen will be on the ground in Killarney to provide updates and analysis. Next up will be the first half of a Croke Park hurling-football double header where Limerick face Dublin (4.00pm) before it's Cork's turn against the boys in blue, John Cleary's men looking to follow last weekend's victory over Roscommon by dumping the Dubs out of the Championship. That game throws in at 6.15pm, the same time that arguably the day's standout contest, the meeting of Galway and Tipperary gets going at the Gaelic Grounds with an All-Ireland hurling semi-final at stake. Maurice Brosnan will be our man in Limerick. So, plenty ahead of us. And plenty behind us too, which means I have some required reading to get stuck into before the action gets going. Here's Eamonn Fitzmaurice on how Jack O'Connor must lean on experience, honesty and hard truths to help Kerry rebound from last week's chastening defeat to Meath.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kerry v Cavan LIVE score updates from All-Ireland preliminary QF clash
Kerry take on Cavan this afternoon in the preliminary quarter-final round of the All-Ireland senior football championship. Today's game throws in at 3.30pm, and while it isn't on TV, it can be streamed on GAA+. Kerry find themselves in the play-off round as a result of losing to Meath in their final round robin game. The Kingdom needed just a draw to secure top spot and a place in the last-8, but an unbelievably sloppy performance handed Meath the initiative and they dominated in Navan. Jack O'Connor's side are back in action today as a result, and that might not be a bad thing as it gives them the chance to get minutes in the legs of the likes of Seanie O'Shea, who returns to the team today. But anyone writing Cavan off must do so at their own peril. The Ulster side have already taken the scalp of Mayo this Summer, and with all the pressure on Kerry, this is the definition of a free-hit. Cavan team to play Kerry Kerry team to play Cavan
