'Sweet dreams dad' - Irish Olympian runs season's best time and credits late dad

Irish olympian Sharlene Mawdsley made a last minute decision to join the European team championships following the recent passing of her father.

In a post on Instagram, Sharlene made tribute to her father with two pictures of her and her father with the caption: "Sweet dreams Dad".

In another post, Sharlene said: "Happy Olympic day. A last minute decision but I'll be stepping into the Irish kit again this weekend for the European team championships."

Sharlene said that it was an emotional weekend but added that she is "so grateful for those around me making it a little easier. I don't want to continue to touch on this subject publicly however, I do want to express my gratitude to those who have helped me these last number of weeks."

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A post shared by Sharlene Mawdsley. (@sharlenem1)

"Now we can look to the next race where I will start on home soil in Morton Games on July 11th," she added.

Sharlene's recent social media posts have received hundreds of positive and heartfelt messages for the Irish athlete following the sad passing of her father.

One person commented, "Sending Love. Your dad was so proud speaking to me about you and watching the Olympics."

Another person said: "Your father will be so proud of you and how you carry yourself on and off the track. A true superstar. Best of luck with the rest of the season."