With two out of three missions accomplished, there were plenty of smiles and high fives among the Irish teams competing at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. Still, there was a nagging sense of what might have been.
The event was primarily about qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Guangzhou presented two opportunities on that front.
The Irish mixed 4x400m quartet were first to book their Tokyo ticket after nailing the runner-up spot in Saturday’s first qualification round, before the women’s 4x400m joined them on Sunday by winning their second qualification round.
Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley played an instrumental role in both teams, proving once again just how indispensable they are to Irish relay prospects right now. Running the second and anchor legs respectively, they clearly made the difference. Mawdsley produced the fastest split in their second qualification round of the women’s 4x400m with her 50.01 seconds.
Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley play starring roles as Ireland qualify for World Championships on the double
Ireland women’s 4x400m relay team seal World Championships qualification in Guangzhou
Sharlene Mawdsley anchor leg helps Ireland seal mixed relay World Championships qualification
Ireland’s relay stars part of an ‘overnight’ success story stretching back to Ronnie Delany in the 1950s
Ireland won in 3:24.69 ahead of Australia (3:27.31) and Switzerland (3:32.37). Adeleke clocked 50.38, with Sophie Becker taking the first leg (51.41) and Rachel McCann the third (52.89).
The men’s 4x400m were also in Guangzhou chasing Tokyo qualification. However, after finishing sixth in their first-round heat on Saturday, they also fell short with their second chance on Sunday. The quartet of Conor Kelly, Cillín Greene, Chris O’Donnell and Jack Raftery finished eighth in the latter run.
Adeleke was satisfied with her trip to China: “I think we have solidified ourselves as one of the best relays in the world and we’re just continuing that on,” the 22-year-old said after the women’s 4x400m. “We’re building, especially me. I’m building every race and getting back into shape and I’m really excited to see what this season holds for all of us, individually and as a team.”
On Saturday, Adeleke and Mawdsley focused on the mixed 4x400m heat. Adeleke raced a little more conservatively than usual, but their second-place finish – Mawdsley kicking past Poland’s former European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic on the last leg – earned them Tokyo qualification and a place in Sunday’s final.
“I was actually quite happy I got the baton in third, I had something to work towards,” Mawdsley said after that race. “Top two was auto Q and I ticked the box and I was put in such a great position. I was delighted to overtake on the bend and hold on to second.”
The top 14 teams across all events booked their places in Tokyo. This was broken down to the eight finalists plus the top three from the two heats in the second qualifying round.
With the Irish mixed quartet already assured of their Tokyo place, Adeleke and Mawdsley came into the women’s 4x400m to boost their qualification prospects.
In their absence, Ireland started with a weakened team for Sunday’s final of the mixed 4x400m relay. The quartet of Raftery, Phil Healy, Aaron Keane and Lauren Cadden finished eighth of the eight finalists, clocking 3:19.64. USA won gold in a World Relays championship record of 3:09.54.
Raftery was back on the track an hour after running the men’s 4x400m second round heat, but he still managed an impressive split of 45.89 seconds. Healy briefly moved the team up to sixth, but Keane (46.97) and Cadden (53.16) lost some ground on the closing two legs.
Had either Adeleke or Mawdsley been able to focus on that final, there was clear potential for a medal. The Irish record of 3:09.92, clocked when winning European gold in Rome last June, would have been good enough for silver here.
The girls put me in a great position and I love to chase
— Sharlene Mawdsley
At last year’s event in the Bahamas, the mixed quartet that included Adeleke and Mawdsley won bronze, where Adeleke’s split time of 48.45 seconds was the fastest ever recorded at the World Relays.
Ireland also just missed an Olympic bronze medal in Paris, clocking 3:19.90 when finishing fourth in the women’s 4x400m. That sort of time would easily have won the gold medal here, with Spain the surprise winners in 3:24.14 ahead of the USA (3:24.72).
After a rainy night on Saturday, conditions inside the Guangdong Stadium were more favourable on Sunday. Mawdsley hadn’t raced since sustaining a hamstring injury during the European Indoors back in March.
“The girls put me in a great position and I love to chase,” Mawdsley said after the women’s 4x400m, where she passed Australia’s Alanah Yukich in the last 150m. “It’s all about learning and looking forward to the rest of the summer.”
Tokyo will be a different prospect in both the mixed and women’s 4x400m, but the two Irish teams will be there. Mission accomplished.
