Women in Sport: Olympic athlete Sharlene Mawdsley

After an epic showing at the Olympics in Paris last month, Tipperary native Sharlene Mawdsley needs little introduction. An inspiration to young Irish athletes all across the country, the 400m sprinter smashed the national record in the women’s 4x400m relay with Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, and Phil Healy, placing fourth on her 26th birthday and producing her fastest-ever relay split of 49.14 seconds.

A sociology graduate from the University of Limerick, the Tipperary native shares more about her sporting journey thus far below.

Name: Sharlene Mawdsley

Profession: Athlete

Earliest sporting memory?

Coming second in the community games in Mosney when I was U-10. I couldn’t believe that I won a medal. It was a grass track and I ran in my bare feet. Just before my final, Sonia O’Sullivan did a lap around the course where all of the athletes followed, but I stayed waiting for my race to start and tried not to waste my energy.

How did you become involved in your sport?

I became involved because I wanted to do a sport but was never really any good at team sports. I always had a competitive streak in me – when I played soccer I hated that I didn’t have the ball, even when my team was winning – so I started running, which was pretty much an individual sport, and loved it so much.

What message would you like to share with young women and girls interested in pursuing a career as an athlete?

Enjoy the process and don’t get caught up in the results. I was never particularly good growing up. When I won my first medal at the community games, I didn’t win another for years after. I never looked at being an athlete as a career when I was younger; but because I loved it, I stuck with it and it brought me some of the best moments of my life.

Sports brands I love (Irish or otherwise)…

PUMA, and Whoop.

Biggest splurge to celebrate a win…

A nice meal out.

How do you mind your mental health?

By working with my sport psychologist and talking to my support team if I’m struggling.

My three desert island beauty products are:

Dermalogica Stabilising Repair Cream.

Sculpted by Aimee Hydra Tint.

Lancaster spf 50.

I need 8 hours of sleep a night because…

I can’t function without it!

Confidence, to me, is…

Being comfortable in your surroundings and trusting yourself.

How do you get over a bad performance?

Feel sad for the rest of the day and forget about it the next morning.

Lastly, why is sport such an integral part of community, on a club, local, national and personal level?

I think sport brings a huge sense of purpose and for me, it supports me with likeminded people. Being able to connect with people through sport is such an amazing thing.

 

This article was originally published in April 2024. We may earn a commission if you shop through an affiliate link on our site.