Tipperary's Sharlene Mawdsley lights up national athletics championships
Newport athlete wins her first senior outdoor 200 metres title
Tipperary's Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) lit up Morton Stadium on the opening day of the 123.ie National Senior Athletics Championships, powering to victory in the women’s 200 metres final.
Mawdsley crossed the line into a stiff breeze in 23.55 (-2.6 m/s).
She held off strong challenges from Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC), who clocked 23.80 for silver, and Lauren Roy (Fast Twitch AC), who secured bronze in 23.88. The win saw Mawdsley claim her first senior outdoor 200 metres title in front of huge crowds in Santry.
Speaking after the race, the Newport AC athlete said: “I’m happy with that. I knew today was going to be a really hard task and to come out on top, I’m absolutely thrilled.
"Sarah [Lavin] was ahead of me and I was just saying to myself, stay calm, stay strong and dig deep, and thankfully I ended up winning the title. It was a pity about the wind, but it was close to a PB and that’ll give me great confidence heading into my last race before the worlds on the 16th of this month”.
Mawdsley, who spent hours signing autographs for adoring young fans, withdrew from the afternoon’s 400 metres heats on the back of her medal-winning display.