Sharlene Mawdsley is not just an athlete; she’s a force of nature. A warrior with spikes on her feet, tearing through the track with the kind of tenacity that Irish sport so desperately needs.
Born on August 10, 1998, in Newport, County Tipperary, Mawdsley’s journey from a small-town sprinter to a global competitor in the 400 meters is a testament to resilience, raw talent, and the kind of sheer determination that separates the great from the forgotten.
She didn’t arrive with a silver spoon in her mouth or the backing of a sporting dynasty. She clawed her way through the ranks, making a name for herself in an event that is merciless in its demands. The 400 meters is not a race for the faint-hearted—it’s a brutal test of speed, endurance, and willpower. And yet, here stands Sharlene Mawdsley, pushing through every obstacle, rewriting Irish athletics history with every stride.
Humble Beginnings in Newport
Newport, County Tipperary—a town with no world-class athletics infrastructure, no immediate claim to sprinting glory. But it had something better: Sharlene Mawdsley. She attended St. Mary’s School, a place that likely never expected to produce an elite sprinter, but Mawdsley was never one to be confined by expectations.
From an early age, she was drawn to the track, competing in 100m and 200m sprints before discovering her true calling in the 400m. That transition wasn’t just a casual switch; it was a war against the body’s limits, against the screaming lactic acid, against the temptation to quit. But Mawdsley never quit.
She went on to study sociology at the University of Limerick, balancing academics with the relentless grind of athletics. Her story isn’t just about raw talent; it’s about intelligence, discipline, and a refusal to settle for mediocrity.
The Evolution of an Elite Sprinter
Mawdsley’s rise wasn’t immediate. It wasn’t adorned with instant gold medals or overnight fame. It was slow, painful, and full of lessons.
2021: The First International Tests
In 2021, she took her first steps onto the international stage, competing in the European Indoor Championships. She didn’t make it past the heats in the 400m. For many, that would have been a moment of doubt—a whisper in the back of the mind questioning whether they were cut out for the big leagues.
But Mawdsley doesn’t listen to whispers of doubt.
That same year, she helped Ireland secure seventh in the mixed 4×400m relay at the World Relays. She was beginning to find her rhythm, learning the brutal demands of elite-level sprinting, and planting her feet firmly on the path to greatness.
2022: Holding Her Ground
The 2022 season saw Mawdsley continue to gain experience. At the World Championships, she played a crucial role in Ireland’s eighth-place finish in the mixed 4×400m relay.
The European Championships that followed were another test of her mettle. The individual 400m didn’t go as planned—she failed to make it past the heats. But relay teams don’t just rely on speed; they rely on trust, resilience, and the ability to rise when the pressure is at its highest. Mawdsley, alongside her teammates, powered through to a sixth-place finish in the 4×400m relay.
The foundation was set. She wasn’t just a participant anymore. She was a competitor.
2023: Six Races in Nine Days – A Testament to Grit
The 2023 European Indoor Championships gave a glimpse of what was coming. In the 400m, she advanced to the semifinals—a sign that she was inching closer to breaking through at the highest level. In the 4×400m relay, Ireland finished fifth.
But it was at the World Championships in August that Mawdsley cemented her status as one of Ireland’s hardest-working athletes. Six races in nine days. That kind of workload isn’t just physically exhausting—it’s mentally draining.
Yet, she delivered.
She made it to the 400m semifinals, an incredible achievement in itself. And in the relays, she was there in the finals—fighting, clawing, pushing Ireland into the top eight in the mixed 4×400m and into sixth place in the women’s 4×400m.
Six races. Nine days. No excuses. No complaints. Just relentless pursuit of excellence.
2024: The Year of Breakthroughs
If 2023 was the proving ground, 2024 was the coronation.
At the World Indoor Championships, she advanced to the 400m final on merit—before a cruel disqualification for obstruction in the semifinals. Yet again, she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and helped the Irish 4×400m team finish fifth.
Then came May, and with it, the World Relays. This time, it wasn’t just about competing. It was about standing on the podium. Mawdsley and her Irish teammates delivered—winning a bronze medal in the mixed 4×400m relay. Her first major international medal. A moment of validation.
But she wasn’t done.
At the European Championships in June, she ran like a woman possessed. In the mixed 4×400m relay, she took the baton from Thomas Barr in second place. With ice in her veins and fire in her legs, she surged past Belgian Helena Ponette on the home stretch, sealing gold for Ireland in a record time of 3:09.92.
And if that wasn’t enough, she added a silver medal in the 4×400m relay and an individual eighth-place finish in the 400m.
It was a statement to the world: Sharlene Mawdsley had arrived.
Ending the Season with a Victory
On September 9, 2024, Mawdsley put the perfect finishing touch on her season. At the Gala dei Castelli meeting in Switzerland, she stormed to victory in the 400m, clocking 51.35 and beating top European competitors like Susanne Gogl-Walli and Lieke Klaver.
Inspiring Ireland to Run and Redefining Femininity in Sport
Olympic athlete Sharlene Mawdsley is on a mission—not just to break records, but to get the Irish public moving. Partnering with SPAR ahead of the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn this March, she hopes to inspire people across the country to experience the benefits of running.
“You can do it anywhere,” she insists. “You don’t have to be at a track, you don’t have to be on grass, you can just put on your runners and go.”
For Mawdsley, running isn’t just about competition—it’s about feeling good, clearing the mind, and pushing personal boundaries.
“You’ll never come home feeling worse. I’ll always feel tired, but I’ll always feel so happy that I’ve got it done. It doesn’t even have to be a run—go for a walk. It’s not a competition… except, maybe, for me,” she laughs.
Starting is always the hardest part, she admits, but once you get moving, the momentum builds.
“Starting off, it’s about getting step one done and enjoying the process and tracking your own progression,” she says, adding that a good running playlist on Spotify helps make the time fly.
Championing Women in Sport
Mawdsley has become a key figure in Irish athletics, not just for her performances on the track but for her efforts in keeping young girls engaged in sport. While running clubs and Strava stats seem to be dominating the fitness culture of the over-30s, she hopes to see more young girls getting involved.
According to Sport Ireland’s 2023 research, the dropout rate among teenage girls in sport is still alarmingly high, with 30% fewer girls participating in secondary school sports compared to primary school. This decline is something Mawdsley is passionate about addressing.
As one of Ireland’s rising athletic icons and a serious contender for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she’s encouraged by the growing media attention female athletes are receiving.
“I think female athletes have been pushed a little bit more over the past couple of years to try and keep young girls in sport,” she says.
“You can see the dropout rate as girls become teenagers, so it’s really great to see that, you know, the likes of Rhasidat [Adeleke], Ciara Mageean, Katie Taylor, Kellie Harrington—they’re just creating this great image for Ireland and for sport.”
Mawdsley and her teammates are not just performing on the track; they’re changing the perception of what it means to be a female athlete.
Glamour Meets Grit on the Track
Mawdsley isn’t just about running fast—she and her relay teammates are redefining what it means to be a competitor. Sport and style don’t have to be separate worlds. They can coexist.
“Even with the Irish relay, we go out with our hair and our make-up done,” she says. “We’re kind of glamourising sport in a way. I think it’s nice to see that you can do both. You can show off that girly side and also be really competitive and aggressive in your sport as well.”
She’s not alone. Across the world, female athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles, Stacey Flood, and Ilona Maher are proving that femininity and fierce competition can go hand in hand. Whether it’s bold nail designs, bright hair accessories, or eye-catching race-day outfits, these women are making it clear: looking good and feeling strong go together.
For Mawdsley, this ritual isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about preparation.
“It’s our going out,” she explains. “Before we go out for a race, we’re doing our hair, we’re doing our make-up. That probably takes two hours before our race but, at the same time, that distracts us from thinking about what we have to do that day.”
In a sport that is as much mental as it is physical, those small details matter.
“I think it’s showing off our personalities as well,” she adds. “We do like to look nice and we do like to feel our best, so why not do that when we’re on the running track?”
“I don’t think it was a conscious decision that we wanted to do that, but I feel like: ‘look good, feel good, run fast’.”
Facing the Critics Head-On
Despite her stellar achievements—breaking national records, securing European medals, and competing at the Olympic level—Mawdsley is still no stranger to criticism.
“Of course we get comments like, ‘If they spent less time doing their make-up maybe they’d run faster,'” she admits.
But she has no time for that kind of negativity.
“You’re always going to have people like that, but I think the reality is that if you see me on a random Saturday, you’re going to see me with my hair and make-up done, so why not see it when I’ve put in all this hard work?”
Her philosophy is simple: put in the work, look your best, feel your best, and perform at your best.
“I’m going to look my best when I’ve put all that work in.”
The Road to the Future
With her eyes set on Los Angeles 2028, Mawdsley is only getting started. She’s already played a crucial role in some of Ireland’s greatest relay performances, standing alongside Rhasidat Adeleke, Sophie Becker, and Phil Healy as they made history at the 2024 European Championships and the Paris Olympics.
Now, she’s looking to inspire a new generation of Irish runners—one that sees running not just as a sport, but as an expression of confidence, strength, and self-belief.
So, the next time you hesitate about lacing up your runners, take a page from Sharlene Mawdsley’s book:
“Just put on your runners and go.”
The Future of Sharlene Mawdsley
So, what’s next for Sharlene Mawdsley?
Her trajectory suggests she’s far from done. Her European gold and silver are proof that she belongs among the best. The 400m is an unforgiving event, but Mawdsley has already shown that she thrives in the toughest conditions.
With her resilience, her hunger, and her ever-improving times, the Olympics loom on the horizon. And if there’s one thing we know about Mawdsley, it’s that she won’t just be there to participate.
She’ll be there to fight.
To compete.
To win.
Ireland has a new sprinting star. And her name is Sharlene Mawdsley.
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