Sharlene Mawdsley makes impressive start to 2026 indoor campaign with a podium finish in France
Newport AC star clocks fastest Irish women’s 400m time of 2026 and hits World Indoor ‘B’ standard with podium finish in France
Tipperary’s Sharlene Mawdsley made an impressive start to her 2026 indoor campaign with a podium finish at the prestigious Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin on Tuesday night last.
The Newport AC sprinter clocked 51.85 to finish third in the women’s 400m at the World Indoor Tour Gold event, recording the fastest time by an Irishwoman over the distance so far this year.
Encouragingly for the Tipperary athlete, the performance also dipped inside the Athletics Ireland ‘B’ standard for the upcoming World Indoor Championships, putting her firmly in the conversation for international selection as the season gathers momentum.
Mawdsley, who represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in Paris, showed sharp early-season form against a strong international field and looks well set as attention begins to turn towards championship racing.