SHARLENE Mawdsley is among Ireland’s finest athletes – with her fame skyrocketing to new heights after a hectic 2024.
She helped the 4x400m mixed relay team clinch a gold medal at the European Championships which gave the whole country a boost.
She was named Tipperary Person of the Year 2024 on the back of her brilliant displays across the whole year[/caption]
Rubbing shoulders with Man United great Gary Neville at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel[/caption]
Her Instagram account showcases how she combines her sporting pursuits with her hobbies away from athletics[/caption]
And people nationwide were just as affected by her and the women’s 4x400m quartet falling agonisingly short of a medal at the summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Here, SunSport delves into her how she spends her time when she’s not honing her speed on the track:
How old is Sharlene Mawdsley and where is she from?
The sprint ace is 26. Her birthday is August 10 so that meant she celebrated her last one in the Olympic Village with teammates Rhasidat Adeleke, Sophie Becker and Phil Healy.
She hails from Newport in county Tipperary.
Sponsorship deals:
Despite putting in just as much work as say footballers or golf stars, elite athletes the world over tend to make a fraction in on-track earnings by comparison.
So side stream of income such as sponsorship arrangements are especially vital to every member of Team Ireland since grants from Sport Ireland are restricted to modest enough sums.
Among Mawdsley’s partnerships are SPAR, Green Farm Fine Foods, Mazars and Herbalife.
Photoshoots:
Mawdsley is also in high demand when it comes to interviews and photoshoots from sporting and non-sporting media outlets.
Her August shoot with Life Magazine revolved around how she combines contrasting passions such as fashion and competing in the sporting realm.
Track pal Adeleke labelled her photos where she donned a black dress and high heels while posing in a gym ‘gorgeous’.
Mixing with stars from other sports
Her profile is such that she regularly gets to attend invite-only events at swanky venues.
One such example saw her cross paths with Gary Neville, Paul McGinley and Liam Sheedy at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel.
Battle with imposter syndrome
While she’s now one of Ireland’s most recognisable sportspeople, Mawdsley has had to overcome significant roadblocks on her path to success and stardom.
In the build-up to International Women’s Day 2025 she spoke with Herbalife, detailing how she’s had to overcome imposter syndrome.
Though she made her Olympic bow in 2024, she came extremely close to securing a spot in the previous Games in Tokyo.
The 400m specialist achieved the qualification time required but ultimately was not selected to represent her county at the Covid-delayed Games.
She explains: “I used to struggle a lot mentally and it came to a stage where I felt I no longer enjoyed competing even though I had done all the hard work behind closed doors on the track and in the gym. I felt the ‘I shouldn’t be here’ mentality kick in”.
After the challenges she faced around the 2021 Olympics, she worked tirelessly with a sports psychologist and gradually began to rebuild her confidence on the road to Paris.
Before appearing on The Late Late Show’s New Year’s Eve special alongside athletics legend David Gillick and comedian Justine Stafford[/caption]
November 2024 saw her move to London to join a new training team[/caption]
Meeting President Michael D Higgins during Team Ireland’s post-Olympics visit to Áras an Uachtaráin[/caption]
Sharlene said: “Imposter syndrome is so common, not only in sport, but when I began the ‘fake it till you make it’ mantra, it just became my reality.”
“Working with my sport psychologist and speaking more openly with my team meant a lot of the imposter syndrome went away, and my overall performance began to get better.”
“I’ve also had great support from Herbalife. They’ve helped me out with everything and anything.
“There was nothing that I needed to look for outside of Herbalife because they’ve got a great range of science-backed supplements to fuel me day-to-day and on the track”.
With Herbalife, a global health and wellness company, aiding her in taking control of her physical needs, Sharlene can focus on managing her mindset.
Serving as a role model for women navigating their own self-doubt, Sharlene offered vital advice: “Focus on what you can control, and don’t waste time worrying about what you can’t”.
She encourages others to remember that life is short and letting go of unnecessary worry is essential to achieving success, adding: “When I let my thoughts get the better of me before, I would tell myself to take the safe option. Now I embrace the challenges”.
Sharlene also stresses the importance of staying true to herself explaining: “By staying true to myself and allowing myself to feel my true feelings I continue to accelerate action in my career and life.”
“I continue to push the boundaries of my own training by working with the world’s best and in my everyday life I will do everything I can to be happy.”
Sharlene continues to combat challenges by remembering all the hard work that she has put into excelling as an athlete, she says: “Looking back on training diaries just days before the race and trusting my coach, these are small things to do, but for me make such a huge difference in the ‘Sharlene’ that shows up on the track.”
Sharlene shares she is now able to embrace every time she gets to represent Ireland and show the world the hard work she has put in.
This year’s IWD theme ‘Accelerate Action’ is a call to acknowledge the strategies, resources, and activity that positively impacts women’s advancement to support and elevate them.
It’s about celebrating the people who roll up their sleeves and take bold steps towards equality. Sharlene believes that “Showing more women in sport is key to progressing this”
She also explains how support from others has been key to the success she has achieved to date, as she explains: “Having my friends and family understand what I do is hugely important as they are the driving force behind me on all those bad days.
“I will always be so appreciative and grateful for them.”
