IRELAND WOMEN’S 4x400M relay team qualified for next year’s World Championships thanks to a sensational anchor leg from Sharlene Mawdsley.

Mawdsley clocked a 48.34 leg in Sunday afternoon’s second qualifying round at the World Athletics Relay in Gaborone, Botswana, reeling in France and Jamaica on the final lap to deliver an Irish win.

The quartet of Rachel McCann, Sophie Becker, Arlene Crossan and Mawdsley ran a season’s best 3:23.83, beating France by a little less than seven-tenths of a second.

Sunday’s run confirms Ireland’s place at the next World Championships, which take place in Beijing in September 2027.

Our Women’s 4x400m team react after THAT epic performance at the World Athletics Relays in Botswana! 🙌#IrishAthletics #WorldRelays pic.twitter.com/bqndtJoEws

— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) May 3, 2026

“We’re absolutely chuffed,” Becker told Athletics Ireland afterwards.

“Sharlene and I ran the numbers last night, and we were like, if we all did what we did yesterday [Saturday], we’ll run a 3:23, so I’m absolutely delighted, I’m so proud, and it just goes to show the depth that we are building here in Ireland.”

Mawdlsey added: “This women’s team has been together for the longest time, and we just thought, let’s give ourselves a performance to be proud of, and we did that. I’m just absolutely thrilled.

“When Arlene gave me the baton in third, I was like, you better stay in third because I like to chase, and I knew if I got in third close by the Jamaican, I thought we’d come second, but we won.”

Earlier on Sunday, Ireland’s mixed 4x400m team of Jack Raftery, Jenna Breen, Sean Doggett and Erin Friel missed out on qualification when they finished eighth in 3:19.34.

There was disappointment as well for the women’s 4x100m team of Precious Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville, Mollie O’Reilly and Sarah Leahy who finished fourth in 44.25.

Written by Niall Kelly and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.