Tipperary power couple Sharlene Mawdsley and Michael Breen share snap from Lola's 'big day out'
The sporting couple took a break from training to enjoy a light-hearted road trip with their four-legged companion
Olympic sprinter Sharlene Mawdsley and her Tipperary hurler boyfriend Michael Breen shared a joyful moment on social media as they set off for an adventure with Lola, Sharlene’s beloved dog. Posting a beaming selfie to her Instagram story, the Tipperary athlete captioned it “Lola’s big day out in the van,” as the trio looked all set for a fun summer escape.
Earlier in August, Mawdsley lit up Morton Stadium on the opening day of the 123.ie National Senior Athletics Championships last weekend, powering to victory in the women’s 200 metres final.
Mawdsley, in front of Tipperary All-Ireland winning hurler and boyfriend Michael Breen, crossed the line into a stiff breeze in 23.55 (-2.6 m/s).
Breen himself quipped in a post on Instagram: "Excuse me, this actually belongs to Buggy."
That's a reference to a viral video of Sharlene Mawdsley racing in the streets of Tipperary following the Premier County's 2025 All-Ireland Final victory over Cork in Croke Park.
Sharlene was at Croke Park to cheer on her partner during the match and by his side during the homecoming celebrations on Monday. And then her celebrations went viral.
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A video widely shared online shows her beating former hurler Brian 'Buggy' O'Meara in an impromptu race - before 7am the day after the All-Ireland final homecoming festivities.
Fresh off the back of celebrating Tipperary's All-Ireland hurling win, top athlete Sharlene, 26, and Buggy, 35, were filmed having a friendly race at 6.45am.
Neither chose traditional athletic gear, with the Olympic runner sporting a dress and her bare feet and the former hurler opting to race topless.
Sharlene was kind enough to allow Buggy a head start but still found herself storming ahead to first place.
At the weekend in the 200m national final, Sharlene held off strong challenges from Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC), who clocked 23.80 for silver, and Lauren Roy (Fast Twitch AC), who secured bronze in 23.88.
The win saw Mawdsley claim her first senior outdoor 200 metres title in front of huge crowds in Santry.
Speaking after the race, the Newport AC athlete said: "I'm happy with that. I knew today was going to be a really hard task and to come out on top, I'm absolutely thrilled.
"Sarah [Lavin] was ahead of me and I was just saying to myself, stay calm, stay strong and dig deep, and thankfully I ended up winning the title. It was a pity about the wind, but it was close to a PB and that’ll give me great confidence heading into my last race before the worlds on the 16th of this month."
Mawdsley, who spent hours signing autographs for adoring young fans, withdrew from the 400 metres heats on the back of her medal-winning display.