Sharlene Mawdsley sends ‘grateful' message to those who made 'emotional weekend a little bit easier' after return
SHARLENE MAWDSLEY thanked her closest supporters for trusting her "when I wasn't sure I trusted myself" after returning to racing.
clocked a season's best time to
.
It was her first
race
since the death of her dad Thomas at the start of June.
And in an emotional post on
star
shared a message of thanks to those who got her to Maribor.
She said: "A return to racing
"An emotional weekend but so grateful for those around me making it a little easier.
Read More on Sharlene Mawdsley
"I don't want to continue to touch on this subject publicly however, I do want to express my gratitude to those who have helped me these last number of weeks.
"To those who helped me get to the start line, my competitors for being so gracious and understanding, to my teammates and the staff this weekend for their help.
"They trusted me, when I wasn't sure I even trusted myself.
"I will never be able to express my thanks to all of the people who have been there these last number of weeks (I hope you know who you all are) but I will never forget it."
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She also revealed when fans can
next
expect her on the track.
Mawdsley added: "Now we can look to the next race where I will start on home soil in Morton Games on July 11th"
Sharlene Mawdsley shows off makeup before Zagreb race
The Olympian had her late dad in her thoughts immediately following her performance in Slovenia.
In a pair of post-race
interviews
, she dedicated her display to him.
She said: "I think the thing was I going to have to race eventually or he would probably haunt me.
"Initially, I wasn't doing Team Championships. The lane then became available and I thought maybe that's a sign.
"To run a season's best is a nice boost, I guess, for the rest of the season and now I know he is looking down on me.
"He got me through that race so I'm sure it is going to be an upward trajectory for the rest of the season."
BACK IN STYLE
Mawdsley had not raced since
In addition to that showing on the Sunday at the big-money Grand Slam Track event, she also came sixth in the long sprints category 24 hours previous.
For that performance, she banked $15,000 with Olympic 400m gold medallist Marileidy Paulino coming out on top.
Mawdsley wound up in fifth place.
Once again, she clocked a season's-best time in that race at 51.12.
And the Paris Olympian hopes that she can carry her performance from
She told
"It is a shame I didn't come first. I would have loved the top points but it probably would have taken a PB to do that today.
"I am looking forward to cheering on the rest of the team now.
"It is going to be an exciting couple of days.
"I don't know what my plans are for the next few days.
"Today was just about getting out there and doing my
family
proud."
1
Sharlene Mawdsley of Team Ireland after the women's 400m repechage at the Stade de France during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games
Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
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