BREAKING: Sharlene Mawdsley finishes eighth in blisteringly fast European 400m final

Tipperary and Newport AC athlete Sharlene Mawdsley finished eighth in Monday night's women's 400m final at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.

Having come into the week in a confident mood after being part of the gold medal 4x400 mixed relay team, she came into Monday night's race as a firm underdog with nothing to lose.

However, she could not reproduce her run from the semi-final on Sunday evening and ran 51.99 which consigned her to last place in the final.

Meanwhile, her Irish teammate Rhasidat Adeleke ran her fastest ever time as she claimed an incredible silver medal, just being pipped at the line for gold by Polish athlete Natasha Kaczmarek.