It was a weekend to remember for Irish athletics as both the mixed and women’s 4x400m relay teams secured their places at the 2025 World Championships following impressive performances at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China.
Saturday: Mixed Relay Books World Championship Place
On Saturday, the Irish mixed 4x400m team delivered a great performance to clinch automatic qualification and book their spot in Tokyo later this year. The quartet of Conor Kelly, Rhasidat Adeleke, Cillín Greene and Sharlene Mawdsley crossed the line in 3:2.56, finishing second only behind a dominant USA squad.
Strong legs from Kelly and Rhasidat gave Ireland a competitive start, before Greene held his ground in the third stretch. Sharlene Mawdsley brought it home in her usual fashion with a powerful overtake on the bend to secure the second spot. 
“We’ve ticked the box,” said Mawdsley. “I was put in a great position, and I was delighted to overtake on the bend and hold to clinch that second place”.
The mixed relay final on Sunday saw a new-look Irish team of Jack Raftery, Phil Healy, Aaron Keane and Lauren Cadden take to the track, finishing eighth in 3:19.64.
Sunday: Women’s 4x400m Redemption
After a narrow miss in Saturday’s heats, the women’s 4x400m team returned with renewed determination, and they certainly delivered.
The new-look lineup of Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Rachel McCann and Sharlene Mawdsley stormed to victory in their repechage heat, clocking 3:24.69 and comfortably securing their ticket to the World Championships.
Becker got things underway from lane seven, before handing off to Adeleke who held off pressure from the Australian team. McCann ran a solid third leg, and Mawdsley unleashed a dominant kick in the final 200m to surge clear and finish with a commanding 15-metre lead.
Speaking after the race, Sophie Becker said: “I’m so relieved, I think I speak for all of us when I say that. It was a great box to tick getting the mixed qualified yesterday, and now to come out here and get the second team qualified for Tokyo is such a relief. We’re all really excited to see what the summer brings now”.
Rhasidat Adeleke echoed her teammate, “We’ve solidified ourselves as one of the best relays in the world and we’re just continuing that on. We’ll get more opportunities to compete and I’m really excited to see what we can do at the World Championships now that we’re qualified”.
With both the mixed and women’s relay teams now qualified, Ireland heads into the summer with serious momentum and growing confidence on the world stage. As eyes turn to Tokyo 2025, this weekend in Guangzhou has set the tone for what promises to be an exciting championship season.