PICTURE: Tipperary 400m national indoor champion Sharlene Mawdsley boasts new hair colour

Tipperary athlete and 400m national indoor champion Sharlene Mawdsley is sporting a new hair colour of late. 

Olympian Sharlene Mawdsley took the 400 metre indoor title on Sunday afternoon at the Indoor Athletics Championships.

The Tipperary native and Newport AC athlete crossed the line first in 51:91 seconds with Phil Healy in second and Rachel McCann in third.

Sharlene also recently just decided to change her her colour and she shared the news with her Instagram followers. 

The Newport native has her eye firmly on the 2028 Olympics but she knows there's life after athletics and isn't going to shy away from making plans for her life after sport.

The sportswoman was part of the 4x400m team that came fourth at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and her 2025 is off to a flying start with the European Athletics Indoor Championships fast approaching.

Speaking at a recent launch as an ambassador for SPAR, Sharlene told how she believes it's natural to be thinking about the next stage of her career and that she hopes to 'give back' when the time comes.

"It's natural to be thinking that way (about retirement and speaking openly about it). I want to travel and for me something that makes sense is to retire in 2028.

'A LITTLE BRIGHTER'

"If I get to LA, that’s brilliant and it'd be great to have my retirement party there. I don't see any issues with being open about my plans," she said.

"People say to me all the time, "you'll change your mind" but I won't. I'll be 30 then and happy with my career, I'll be grateful when the day comes that I've had these chances."

When she does retire, the first thing Sharlene hopes to do is go travelling and she'll figure out what to do with her life while seeing the world.

"I've been in college but I've never worked a "proper" job at a desk or traveled for work, obviously being an athlete is my job but I suppose I'll have to get a big girl job eventually," Sharlene added with a laugh. "For now, I'm enjoying what I'm doing but I know there has to be a life after athletics, I can’t run forever."

The Newport AC woman studied sociology and new media at college and her thesis was on homelessness in the media, with this being an area she'd consider looking at working in after her athletics career reaches its end.

However, Sharlene is still fully locked into athletics currently and is working with SPAR to promote Irish athletics ahead of the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn.

SPAR has sponsored the event since 1996 and this year is running a competition to win a VIP trip for two to the Championships.

To enter, simply go for a run or jog of any distance, take a screenshot of your run on your running app of choice, and post it to Instagram using #TeamSPAR.

Sharlene is encouraging Irish fans to get moving and enter the competition and has shared her top tip for those starting out on their running journey.

To find out more about the competition visit any SPAR store nationwide, look online, or visit SPAR’s Instagram page. Terms and conditions apply.