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Sharlene Mawdsley reacts after crossing the finish line to win the 4x400 meters relay mixed final at the the European Athletics Championships in Rome. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

'Everything we dream of. We won the European Championships!' - Irish team on glittering gold

A famous night in Rome.

THE IRISH 4X400M mixed relay team are celebrating a glittering gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.

Chris Oโ€™Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr and Sharlene Mawdsley stormed to an historic victory after a blistering run at the Stadio Olimpico.

The quartet clocked a new national and championship record of 3:09.92 to secure a first European Championship gold medal since Sonia Oโ€™Sullivan in 1992.

They reflected on the monumental achievement with RTร‰โ€™s David Gillick afterwards.

โ€œItโ€™s unbelievable. Everything we dream of,โ€ Oโ€™Donnell, who ran the opening leg, began.

โ€œWhen I started going into the blocks, I really felt like I was doing it for the whole country. I wasnโ€™t nervous, I was really excited because Iโ€™ve seen these guys next to me and the support we have in the stadium, itโ€™s an unbelievable day. We canโ€™t get over it.โ€

โ€œIt means so much,โ€ Adeleke picked up after her sensational second leg.

โ€œWe knew what we could do as a team, weโ€™re really strong, weโ€™ve proven ourselves so many times. I just feel like it was our turn to win a championship medal at senior level. We really deserve it, we work so hard and we really trust each other as a team and that showed on the track today.โ€

Adeleke powered Ireland into the lead and while Barr was overtaken by a Belgian athlete, he rolled back the years to keep his team in contention.

โ€œI have been around a long time, this is my sixth European Championships and medals do not come around that often,โ€ the Waterford star said.

โ€œThis is just a phenomenal performance. We knew what we could do coming into this, we knew off the back of the World Relays that we had a really good shot โ€” at not just a medal, but if we really got it right on the day, which we didโ€ฆ we got a championship record, close to a world record and a gold. Not just on the line, we took it by storm.

โ€œThis isnโ€™t going to set in for a while but we have to enjoy this because they really do not come around that often. Iโ€™m a very, very happy athlete right now.โ€

And Mawdsley took it home with a scorching anchor leg. She overtook Belgium, turned on the afterburners and soared home.

โ€œHonestly, I wanted to take her on the back straight and I was like, โ€˜Hold on Sharlene, just use her. Sheโ€™s going out hard,โ€™โ€ she recalled.

โ€œI was getting a bit impatient, I wanted to take her on the bend and then I was just like, โ€˜Just go for it.โ€™ Iโ€™ve trained my life for this.

โ€œMe and Tom were only saying earlier we felt so good in the warm-up that we were even like, โ€˜Whatโ€™s going on?โ€™ Honestly, itโ€™s everything to me, itโ€™s everything to the team. The whole stadium was just amazing, the Irish fans turn up every time. Itโ€™s just super.โ€

Gillick asked about the shock on her face crossing the line, to which Mawdsley responded:

โ€œHonestly, I did not think we would win. Even thinking about that: we won the European Championships! Honestly, itโ€™s so amazing. I canโ€™t wait to step up on the podium tomorrow and hear the national anthem, I think there will be a few tears.โ€

chris-odonnell-rhasidat-adeleke-sharlene-mawdsley-and-tom-barr-celebrate-winning-a-gold-medal Irelandโ€™s Chris Oโ€™Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Sharlene Mawdsley and Tom Barr celebrate winning a gold medal. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

Mawdsley, Barr and Adeleke are all off tomorrow, but Oโ€™Donnell returns to the track bright and early for the Menโ€™s 4x400m.

โ€œListen, itโ€™s a pleasure, Iโ€™m coming on a high. The last thing Iโ€™m going to be out there is dreading coming in tomorrow morning!

โ€œItโ€™s unbelievable. Weโ€™ve been on a bit of a journey this team. We were performing miracles a few years ago making finals and not once did we just say, โ€˜Ah weโ€™re happy making a final, weโ€™re happy coming sixth.โ€™ It was always, โ€˜Whatโ€™s the next one?โ€™ Itโ€™s not even medalling, itโ€™s gold medalling and weโ€™re not far off a World record.โ€

โ€œThat ambition, that journey is not going to change now,โ€ Barr added.

โ€œThis is still very early in a big season, we have Olympics yet to come and thereโ€™s a huge amount of depth within this team. The four people that are standing here today might not be on this team come Tokyo [sic] so weโ€™re going to do our best to keep that spotโ€ฆ.

โ€œTokyo? Iโ€™m in the past! Covid erased two years of my life!โ€

And off they went into the night.

Glittering gold.

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    Mute Brian M
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    Jul 15th 2024, 7:49 AM

    Led by example again the other night. Irelandโ€™s best player by a distance despite the media obsession with McCabe, who has been poor since the World Cup. Katie could do worse than look to Oโ€™Sullivanโ€™s example as to how to lead instead of moaning at refs, giving out to team-mates and constantly giving the ball away with silly flicks and attempts to look good. Oโ€™Sullivan does it all without the ego and dramatics, and more power to her. Great role model for young players.

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    Mute Der Calnan
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    Jul 15th 2024, 1:46 PM

    @Brian M: Was there talk of her going to Man United?

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    Mute Square
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:16 PM

    I will be at it come on girls

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