Sharlene Mawdsley: I'll run as often as I can at Paris Olympics

"You have officially been selected"

Five words that have been the motivating force behind Sharlene Mawdsley's determination to realise her dream as an Olympian.

Confirmation of her place in place in Paris came via an email from Athletics Ireland yesterday morning, previous heartache washed away by instant relief.

Her on-track performances and silverware this season meant there was, in truth, little doubt over her selection, but the Tipperary native has scar tissue from her Tokyo ordeal.

Having been part of the Irish 4x400m mixed relay that secured Olympic qualification, she was cut from the team at the expense of Cliodhna Manning, who got the better of her at the nationals.

A crestfallen Mawdsley vowed immediately to do everything in her power to make the plane to Paris, with the first six months of 2024 testament to that as she soared from one high to another.

"Until I got that email I didn’t believe I was going, maybe a bit of PTSD from not going three years ago," she told RTÉ Sport.

"I promised myself after 2021 that I would give it everything for the three years to try and qualify for Paris and if it didn’t work out at least I would never look back and say I didn’t try my best.

"But I did and here I am going to the Olympics which is so exciting. I wasn’t leaving that unturned this year, because I didn’t want anyone to take my spot away."

'We have two really strong relay teams' -Paris-bound Sharlene Mawdsley is targeting an Olympic medal pic.twitter.com/e6k3qKTJRp

While she hadn’t considered herself superstitious, she was leaving nothing to chance. The Newport native warned her mother not to book any flights - "of course she did it behind my back anyways" - and purposefully avoided talking to her coach Gary Ryan about his