Track And Field Athlete Sharlene Mawdsley, May Stepdown His Career According to Doctors Reports.

In an event making its debut at these championships, Thomas Barr, Rhasidat Adeleke, Chris O’Donnell and Sharlene Mawdsley clocked a national record of 3:09.92 to emulate the achievement of Sonia O’Sullivan, who earned a total of three track titles at the 1994 and 1998 editions.

Even an athlete of the talent and commitment of Femke Bol could not prevent the Irish from living up to their fondest dreams tonight.

While she moved the Dutch from distant fourth to bronze on the last leg, almost overtaking the home silver medallists as she recorded the fastest female split time of 49.21, the world 400m hurdles champion was not able to repeat her heroics at last year’s World Championships in the women’s 4x400m, when she managed to bring her team home for gold in similar circumstances.

Ultimately there was no way Ireland were going to lose this one. Their two female runners, in particular, gave inspired displays. Their headily-rising 21-year-old talent Adeleke produced an irresistible power surge on the second leg as she moved from fourth to create a five-metres lead for her team in a split of 49.53.

And after taking over in second place from Barr, Mawdsley – traumatically disqualified for obstruction after appearing to have reached this year’s 400m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships – produced her own inspired final effort to move into the lead again and bring the green shirts home for gold, clocking 49.40 on anchor.

Bol, biding her time as a distant fourth-placer, ended at top speed, moving past Belgium’s Helena Ponette and bringing the Dutch home third in 3:10.73, just a step away from the Italian’s last runner Alice Mangione, who secured silver in a national record of 3:10.69.

Belgium had the consolation of a national record of 3:11.03 in fourth.