Tipperary athlete selected on Irish team for World Athletics Relays in Botswana

Athletics Ireland have this afternoon confirmed their team selection for the 2026 World Athletics Relays, which take place in Gaborone, Botswana on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3.

A women’s and mixed 4x400 metres team, along with a women’s 4x100 metres team will travel to the championships aiming to seal qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships, which will be hosted by Beijing, China.

The top twelve teams in each event will qualify for the World Athletics Championships, with the top six teams in the mixed 4x400 metres relay qualifying for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.

Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) headlines the team, returning to the Irish singlet for the first time since last year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The Tipperary sprinter is selected for both the women’s and mixed 4x400 metres teams and is an intriguing addition to the women’s 4x100 metres relay squad.

Olympic relay finalist Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock AC) is also named in the women’s and mixed 4x400 metres relay squads. Rachel McCann (North Down AC), who raced as part of the women’s 4x400 metres team in Tokyo last year, joins Becker and Mawdsley in both 4x400 metres selections.

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18-year-old Molly Daly (Kilkenny City Harriers) and Erin Friel (Letterkenny AC) are called up to the senior relay squad for the first time. Daly ran a time of 53.74 seconds last month indoors in only her third ever race over the distance, while Friel, who is a European Youth Olympic medallist, also ran a personal best of 54.20 seconds indoors.

Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers) returns to the World Athletics Relays once again, having played key roles for both the mixed and men’s teams in Guangzhou last year. He is joined in the mixed relay by young athletes Sean Doggett (Athenry AC) and Fintan Dewhirst (Tír Chonaill AC), who finished first and second respectively at March’s 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships.

The Women’s 4x100 metres relay team return to the event for the first time since 2021. Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) and Molly Scott (St Laurence O’Toole AC) both featured on that team and are selected in the squad. They are joined by Ciara Neville (Emerald AC), who made her first international individual appearance in five years recently at the World Indoor Championships, and Precious Akpe-Moses (Blackrock AC) who could make her senior international debut.

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