Sharlene Mawdsley opens up on coping with grief and finding support after her father’s death

Tipperary born athlete Sharlene Mawdsley spoke candidly on the Oliver Callan Show on RTÉ Radio 1, October 2. She spoke about the sudden death of her father, Thomas “Tucker” Mawdsley, and how she has navigated the past year of grief.

Thomas Mawdsley passed away unexpectedly in June, leaving his family “still grieving him and missing him every day,” according to Sharlene. For her, memories of her father attending her races provide solace. “Those are the good times you have to bring forward. I try to stay strong for me, my family. We are all under that same impression of re-living all the great memories we have with him,” she said.

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She recounted her father’s devotion not only to her career but also to Manchester United, joking that he remained loyal to the football club despite recent poor results. Her parents, she added, were instrumental in her early development as an athlete, driving her to training and meetings.

Grieving in public proved difficult. Sharlene said she did not expect her eulogy for her father to be shared publicly but appreciated the support she and her family received. Running and training have provided a welcome distraction. “You would go to training and you'd just have a session to complete, that's all you'd really be thinking about at the time. Although you never stop thinking about him, running was a bit of distraction,” she explained.

Sharlene highlighted the support of her boyfriend, Tipperary hurler Mikey Breen, who frequently trains with her. “He’s helped me out in a lot of my sessions this year, even on all the hard days after my dad had passed away, he was at the track every day… he'd be there with the video and stopwatch. The support I had from him was really special,” she said.

Reflecting on the Paris Olympics last year, where she finished fourth, Sharlene described the experience as ultimately positive. “Fourth is always the worst place to come, you get a medal for first, second and third, and a certificate for fourth… when I reflect on it, it is really special. The nicest part for me was after the race finished, my parents were both there and I got to go over to them.”

She described her parent's pride as a source of comfort and motivation. “I'd ran the fastest I'd ever ran that day. My mam was trying to tell me everything was fine and that it was good.” The experience, she said, has left her both proud and hungrier for success in the future.

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