LAST UPDATE | 2 Mar
SHARLENE MAWDSLEY SAYS she is “heartbroken” after her galling disqualification at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Mawdsley appeared to secure her place in the 400m final last night after finishing third in her semi-final heat, but was later disqualified following an appeal from Austria’s Susanne Gogl-Walli.
“Thank you for all of the love but I’m so sorry to say I was disqualified for the impediment of another athlete in the race,” the Tipperary native wrote on her Instagram story.
“I’m so sorry. I’m absolutely heartbroken.”
Gogl-Walli, who finished fourth, appealed the result based on an apparent infringement by Mawdsley on the final turn.
That appeal was successful, with Mawdsley adjudged to have cut in on the Austrian’s line without first being a stride clear. Gogl-Walli was promoted to third and Mawdsley lost her place in the final, as a counter-appeal also proved unsuccessful.
There has been a lot of noise around the decision, which appeared unjust. Director of High Performance at Athletics Ireland, Paul McNamara, spoke to RTÉ Sport this afternoon.
“We don’t agree with the decision and we don’t think it’s a fair outcome,” he said.
“We think it could easily have gone the other way and the decision could have been overturned. Contact in 400m indoor running is part and parcel of our sport. It’s perfectly normal and to be expected.
“A key factor from our perspective is the outcome of the race. Was the outcome affected by the contact?
“We feel in that regard it certainly wasn’t. Sharlene passed the Austrian at speed and had real momentum. She was closing the gap on Lieke Klaver at that stage and was going to finish third or better in that race.
“The Austrian wasn’t negatively affected. She retained her fourth position, didn’t lose any further ground.”
“Alongside that, there is video evidence to suggest that Sharlene did hold her line on that second lap as she passed,” McNamara added.
“She did move in to the inside lane when there was felt there was space to do so.
“With those two factors in mind, we felt the decision should have been overturned.”
Mawdsley returns to the track in the 4x400m relay on Sunday, while Roisin Flanagan was the latest Irish athlete in action in the 3000m final tonight.
Flanagan clocked a personal best of 8:53.02 as she finished 15th at her first World Championships.
USA’s Elle St Pierre won in a scintillating championship record time of 8:20.87, with Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia (8:21.68) and Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech (8:22.68) second and third respectively. Great Britain’s Laura Muir finished fifth.
“It was just an honour to be in the field, running against them athletes,” Flanagan, a late call-up to the Irish team, told Virgin Media Sport after the race.
“You get a bit excited but I wanted to run smart and give myself a chance of running a personal best which is what I’ve done, so I have to be happy with that. I was hoping for a little bit faster, especially in that standard of race, but I was pretty dead by the end of it so I’m happy I gave it my all”
“When I walked out and realised who I was lining up against and the crowd, my stomach turned a little bit,” the Finn Valley AC star added.
“I’m glad I got that experience before the summer. I hope to improve upon this and be a little more up the field come the summer.”
- You can view the full result here>
- Updated 20.45pm with Roisin Flanagan’s result
