Tipperary Olympian athlete Sharlene Mawdsley opens up about struggling with Imposter Syndrome

Tipperary Olympian athlete Sharlene Mawdsley has expressed how she struggled with imposter syndrome in the lead up to International Women’s Day (IWD).

Newport's Sharlene qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but was ultimately not selected, it became a turning point that sparked self-doubt, forcing her to question whether she deserved to compete.

Sharlene explains: “I used to struggle a lot mentally and it came to a stage where I felt I no longer enjoyed competing even though I had done all the hard work behind closed doors on the track and in the gym. I felt the ‘I shouldn’t be here’ mentality kick in."

After the challenges she faced around the 2021 Olympic Games, she worked tirelessly with a sports psychologist and gradually began to rebuild her confidence on the road to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Sharlene says: “Imposter syndrome is so common, not only in sport, but when I began the ‘fake it till you make it’ mantra, it just became my reality.”

“Working with my sport psychologist and speaking more openly with my team meant a lot of the imposter syndrome went away, and my overall performance began to get better.”

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She encourages others to remember that life is short and letting go of unnecessary worry is essential to achieving success, adding: “When I let my thoughts get the better of me before, I would tell myself to take the safe option. Now I embrace the challenges. Focus on what you can control, and don’t waste time worrying about what you can’t." 

Sharlene also stresses the importance of staying true to herself explaining: “By staying true to myself and allowing myself to feel my true feelings I continue to accelerate action in my career and life.”

“I continue to push the boundaries of my own training by working with the world’s best and in my everyday life I will do everything I can to be happy.”

Sharlene continues to combat challenges by remembering all the hard work that she has put into excelling as an athlete, she says: “Looking back on training diaries just days before the race and trusting my coach, these are small things to do, but for me make such a huge difference in the ‘Sharlene’ that shows up on the track.”

Sharlene shares she is now able to embrace every time she gets to represent Ireland and show the world the hard work she has put in.

This year’s IWD theme ‘Accelerate Action’ is a call to acknowledge the strategies, resources, and activity that positively impacts women’s advancement to support and elevate them.

It’s about celebrating the people who roll up their sleeves and take bold steps towards equality. Sharlene believes that “Showing more women in sport is key to progressing this.”

She also explains how support from others has been key to the success she has achieved to date, as she explains: “Having my friends and family understand what I do is hugely important as they are the driving force behind me on all those bad days. I will always be so appreciative and grateful for them.”