The Daily Star Ireland
Ireland’s women’s 4x400m relay team has officially booked its place at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo following a decisive victory in the repechage round at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. Their qualification joins that of the mixed 4x400m relay squad, ensuring Ireland will be represented in two relay events at the global competition later this year.
After failing to reach the final through Saturday’s initial qualifiers, the women’s team was given a second chance in Sunday’s repechage and took full advantage. With a modified line-up for the second day, the team executed a composed and commanding performance to cross the finish line in 3 minutes 24.69 seconds, comfortably ahead of Australia and other competitors.
Sophie Becker started the race strongly from lane seven, setting a solid early pace and handing the baton to Rhasidat Adeleke while running among the front-runners. Adeleke, who finished fourth in the individual 400m at the Tokyo Olympics, maintained the advantage under pressure from the Australian side, delivering a composed second leg.
Rachel McCann took the third leg and managed to preserve the lead until the final stages of her 400m, when Australia briefly edged in front during the baton handover. However, anchor runner Sharlene Mawdsley, from Tipperary, measured her response carefully. After a steady first 200 meters, she surged in the final stretch to secure a dominant victory with a clear margin of over 15 meters.
Post-race, the team emphasized the relief of qualification, with Becker acknowledging the pressure to deliver following the mixed team’s success the previous day. Adeleke also highlighted the group’s growing reputation in international relay events and expressed confidence in their potential heading into the World Championships.
Mixed Relay Confirms Progress as Men’s Team Falls Short
Ireland’s 4x400m mixed relay team had already secured its World Championship spot during Saturday’s qualifiers and competed in Sunday’s final without Adeleke and Mawdsley. The reshuffled quartet of Jack Raftery, Phil Healy, Aaron Keane, and Lauren Cadden finished eighth in the final, clocking a time of 3:19.64. Although outside medal contention, the result ensured experience and exposure for athletes who stepped into key roles in a high-stakes environment.
The men’s 4x400m relay team, however, was unable to join their female and mixed counterparts in qualifying for Tokyo. Competing from lane two, Conor Kelly led off the race and passed to Cillín Greene, but the team struggled to stay in contention for the top three automatic qualifying spots. Despite efforts from Chris O’Donnell and Jack Raftery in the latter stages, the team finished in seventh place in their heat with a time of 3:04.42, missing the qualification standard.
While only two of the three relay squads achieved their objective, the overall outcome reflects growing depth and competitive capacity within Irish relay teams. With the women’s and mixed teams now set to compete on the world stage later this year, preparations will shift toward refining performance ahead of the championships in Tokyo.
