Ireland celebrated a historic victory at the European Athletics Championships as their 4x400m mixed relay team clinched the nation’s first gold medal since 1998. The triumphant quartet—Chris O’Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr, and Sharlene Mawdsley—finished 0.77 seconds ahead of Italy, while the favored Netherlands team, led by Femke Bol, took bronze.
Bol, despite a strong effort, could not overcome the gap in the final leg, leaving the Dutch team 0.81 seconds behind the Irish squad. The Irish team shaved 1.61 seconds off the national record set when they finished third behind the USA and the Netherlands at the World Relays in the Bahamas last month.
Mawdsley’s split time of 49.40 seconds was 0.13 seconds faster than Adeleke’s, with O’Donnell clocking 46.09 and hurdler Barr delivering an impressive leg at 44.90.
O’Donnell’s steady opening leg set the stage for Olympic hopeful Adeleke, who outpaced Bol’s teammate Lieke Klaver to get Ireland into serious contention. Barr’s brilliant performance maintained Ireland’s gold medal hopes, handing the baton to anchor runner Mawdsley in second place behind Belgium.
Mawdsley surged into the lead with just over 100 meters remaining, ultimately powering clear to cross the finish line in three minutes and 9.92 seconds.
Legendary distance runner Sonia O’Sullivan had been the only Irish athlete to secure European gold, achieving the 5,000m and 10,000m double in 1998 and winning the 3,000m title four years earlier.
Earlier in the championships, Ciara Mageean got off to a strong start for the Irish team by easily qualifying for the women’s 1500m final. The Portaferry runner finished third in her heat with a time of 4:06.81, just behind Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie (4:06.68) and Italy’s Ludovica Cavalli (4:06.76).
At 32 years old, Mageean is a favorite for gold in Sunday’s final, having won silver behind Great Britain’s Laura Muir at the 2022 European Championships in Munich.
“I wanted to stay out of trouble”, said Mageean.
“I saw when I was walking through that one of the girls fell in the second heat – that’s your biggest risk, that you’ll get caught up in something.”
Dubliner Sarah Healy also secured her spot in the 1500m final, clocking in at 4:12.30 to finish fourth in her heat.
However, Letterkenny athlete Mark English’s quest for a fifth European 800m medal came to an end as he placed fifth in his heat with a time of 1:46.73.
Israel Olatunde advanced to Saturday evening’s 100m semi-finals, finishing third in his heat with a season-best time of 10.31 seconds. The Dubliner has faced challenges in maintaining form since finishing sixth at the last European Championships with a national record of 10.17 seconds, but his performance on Friday should provide a boost of confidence.
Meanwhile, Michelle Finn’s championships concluded as she finished 14th in her 3,000m steeplechase heat with a time of 9:46.93.