Sharlene Mawdsley runs lifetime best for 400m victory in Italy

Sharlene Mawdsley has posted a new personal best in the 400m at the Savona International Meeting.

Her time of 50.52 seconds ensured her victory at the Continental Tour Bronze Event in Italy on Wednesday evening.

The Tipperary sprinter's previous best of 50.71 seconds had been set at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

She finished almost a second clear of Talitha Diggs from the US, second in 51.47, with Italy’s Eloisa Coiro third in 51.79.

Mawdsley had already shown her promising early-season form with a superb anchor leg for Ireland in the 4x400m relay at the World Relays in Botswana last month, where she was given a split time of 48.34 seconds.

Wednesday’s effort is also well inside the qualifying time for the European Championships in Birmingham in August.