Hurray! Team Ireland Reaches Finals Of Women’s 4x400m Relay
Team Ireland has made it to the finals of women’s 4x400m relay. The Irish team included Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Kelly McGrory and Sharlene Mawdsley.
The team of four heroes played their best and turned their hard work into a performance when they finished at 3:25:05 in their heat. The race took place at Stade de France.
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It was hard for them without Thasidat Adeleke as she was to participate in another 400m final on the same evening. Team Ireland had to prove more of themselves with a missing player. Adeleke would be added back to the team later, expected for the finals of women’s 4x400m tomorrow evening.
Becker started off like a flash, with a brilliant opening leg of 50.90 seconds before handing over the relay to Healy. Healy powerfully kept her pace and finished her part in 51.90 seconds. It was McGrory’s turn in the third place who fought her place and took the lead with much of the leg. In the last, she handed off to Mawdsley who was waiting for her in fourth place, running for 49.74 seconds.
The Cork women tried their best to keep their lead throughout the relays, however, when changing from McGrory took place, it proved to be their hardest moment. Keeping at their place at which they started off became pushy.
McGrory from Team Ireland was the one that took the lead in the early stages of her leg, but Ireland kept changing its position from second to third as she appeared to be fading at some points.
Team Ireland’s Mawdsley’s glory
Mawdsley’s running saved Ireland’s place in reaching the finals since her run is considered the second fastest out of the 64 runners across both heats.
It was observed by the spectators that Mawdsley had to deal with serious hard work when she had to make up the trail of the remaining three players of her team. She allowed herself to squeeze to get some space for the run when she passed like lightning past Canada’s Kyra Constantine in the remaining final hundred.
Although Team Ireland stood in third place in the semi-final match, the race was a close one. It was Mawdsley’s strong finish that had to make up for the three previous sprinters.
Overall, Ireland’s team remained the seventh fastest out of the eight teams who participated in their heats. The United States topped the chart with a timespan of 3:21:44.
Jamaica took a total time of 3:24:92 and the Netherlands finished at 3:25:03 whereas Ireland was only 0.02 seconds behind the second-place winners.
The finals of the women’s 4x400m relay is scheduled to take place at 8:14 pm on Saturday night. The team is expecting the same teamwork and shining performance in the finals, in the hope of getting their hands on the medal.
