
Inside Sharlene Mawdsley's ‘lil trip abroad' as she dazzles with season's-best time at big money USA track meet
The third instalment of Michael Johnson's brainchild to create more big-money meets was held in Philadelphia on the east coast of the United States.
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The Tipperary woman was delighted with her performance across Saturday and Sunday
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She'd charted her 'lil trip abroad' on Instagram from its outset at Dublin Airport
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She shared a sneak peek from her accommodation in The City of Brotherly Love
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She squeezed in a FaceTime call with her precious dog Lola
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Its intention is to get more events where the best athletes take each other on since it's become the norm for individuals to tailor their schedules and skip typical meets as a result.
The selling point is naturally increased prize money with Mawdsley enjoying a profitable weekend.
On Sunday she banked $15,000 for placing sixth in the long sprints category with Olympic 400m gold medallist Marileidy Paulino coming out on top.
In addition to that showing, which included a season's-best time of 23.24 in the 200m, she also ran well on the Saturday.
Read More On Irish Sport
The 26-year-old wound up in fifth place in the 400m. Again, she clocked a season's-best time in that race at 51.12.
Her earnings were almost matched by Dubliner Andrew Coscoran who will fly home $12,500 richer on the back of coming fourth in the 3000m.
At the previous Grand Slam Track event in Miami he'd actually secured a whopping $50,000 for finishing second in the long-distance section.
However, prize money was slashed this time around for him and direct competitors as the 5000m race was dropped from the schedule due to this Philadelphia outing being trimmed from three days to two.
Most read in Athletics
Elsewhere in Irish athletics, it was also a noteworthy weekend for Mark English.
The 32-year-old broke his own Irish 800m record with a fine victory at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz.
Sharlene Mawdsley shows off makeup before Zagreb race
The Donegal runner powered down the home straight in Poland to clock a winning time of 1:44.34, with his previous best of 1:44.53 set in Madrid last June.
The five-time European medallist trails only Sonia O'Sullivan in Ireland's all-time major championships medal table.
English's victory was no surprise to his followers after a hugely impressive win at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles last weekend.
In that race he had posted a 1:44.75 time that pointed towards a big run in Bydgoszcz.
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Kingston, Jamaica and Los Angeles, California have hosted the year's other Slams
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A glimpse at the kind of meals elite sprinters use to fuel themselves on race days
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Andrew Coscoran also ran well at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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While Mark English broke his own national record in Poland
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The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
John Terry tells Chelsea they have to try to WIN the Premier League this year as former captain opens up on club role
He also labelled one Chelsea player 'the best in the world in his position' the terry on top John Terry tells Chelsea they have to try to WIN the Premier League this year as former captain opens up on club role JOHN TERRY was the epitome of Chelsea's golden era under Roman Abramovich. The most successful captain in the club's history now thinks the Blues are ready to challenge under new ownership. Advertisement 6 John Terry has told Chelsea they must aim for the title this Premier League season Credit: Getty 6 Terry knows what that particular feat takes, leading the Blues to five titles himself Credit: Getty Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! For all the chopping and changing at Stamford Bridge, Terry — who mentors players in the academy — can see a bright future after a summer of success. Eight months ago, boss Enzo Maresca was shooting down suggestions of a title challenge. Six months ago, the fans were chanting angrily towards their manager that they wanted 'their Chelsea back'. Since then, Todd Boehly's Blues have claimed a Champions League place, won the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL FEUD OVER? Gary Lineker attends niece Tia's wedding as fallout with brother Wayne eases And JT - who has exclusively revealed he's made a decision about his own future in the game - does not think Maresca will talk down their title hopes any more. The Chelsea legend, 44, told SunSport: 'I really liked the honesty from the manager because the message is clear to the players. We're not there yet. 'If you're the manager now coming into that dressing room and you're going, 'We've got a chance this year', the players will think we've got a chance. This year I think his message will be different. 'He was spot on because we were young, it was a little bit up and down last year. At the moment, we're clearly building and moving in the right direction. Advertisement CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 6 Terry also lifted the Champions with Chelsea Credit: Getty 'I'm not sitting here saying I want to wait five years to win another Premier League. We've got to go into it 100 per cent with the mindset of going, 'Yes, we have to try to win the league this year'. 'Without a shadow of a doubt. But there's other big competitions as well. Advertisement Fans spot Liam Delap's reaction on bench after Joao Pedro goal as Chelsea fans say 'this guy can't catch a break' 'You fight right to the end until it's not possible. The Premier League was done last season, Liverpool were very good last year and rightly the winners. We have to compete for that again.' Key to success will be whether or not the fledgling leaders within Maresca's squad can find another level. Reece James, 25, was called out by his manager last season for not doing enough as a captain but has stepped up since. Centre-back Levi Colwill looked to be following in Terry's footsteps at the back before his cruel ACL injury last week. Advertisement And Chelsea's 15-time trophy-winning former skipper has long been impressed by Enzo Fernandez. But James staying fit and leading on the pitch will be vital after missing months at a time with hamstring, knee and thigh problems. Chelsea's transfer deals IN Joao Pedro - from Brighton - £60m Jamie Gittens - from Dortmund - £52m Jorell Hato - from Ajax - £37m Liam Delap - from Ipswich - £30m Estevao - from Palmeiras - £29m Dario Essugo - from Sporting Lisbon - £18.5m Kendry Paez - from Independiente - £17.5m Mamadou Sarr - from Strasbourg - £12.5m TOTAL - £256.5m OUT Noni Madueke - to Arsenal - £52m Joao Felix - to Al-Nassr - £44m Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - to Everton - £28m Djordje Petrovic - to Bournemouth - £25m Lesley Ugochukwu - to Burnley - £25m Bashir Humphreys - to Burnley - £15m Mathis Amougou - to Strasbourg - £12.5m Kepa Arrizabalaga - to Arsenal - £5m Marcus Bettinelli - to Man City - £5m TOTAL - £183.5m TRANSFER NEWS LIVE Terry added: 'For Reece, concentrate on staying fit and having a fully-fit season for him is the most important thing. He can make such a difference. 'We've seen the quality. When Reece is at it, he is the world's best right-back. Advertisement 'When you've picked up a couple of injuries like Reece has had, it's difficult to really feel like you belong. 'So when you start demanding from people around you, when you're the one not playing, that's also very difficult. 'When you're in the starting line-up week in, week out, it's easy to command and run the dressing room — and the standards of the football club.' Terry made more than 500 appearances as captain and says boss Jose Mourinho always demanded his skipper be robust and a regular. Advertisement JT said: 'You need to be robust. You need to understand that you can push through little injuries, niggles, and you can kind of come out the other side of it. 'You need to manage your body throughout the week and all of that.' As well as mentoring players in the Under-18s and U21s, Terry stops in to catch up and offer support to players such as James and Colwill. He even spoke to the pair of defenders before this interview. Advertisement 6 Captain Reece James has found regular football difficult to come by due to injury trouble Credit: Getty 6 Levi Colwill's brutal ACL injury scuppered what was expected to be a strong season Credit: Alamy Terry added: 'We talk generally about football and some situations — but it's super relaxed. 'Out of pure respect, I don't get too involved because I fully respect the manager and his role. Advertisement 'I would never want to say something that goes against what he's saying to those players. 'But the boys know I'm always there if they need me. 'Not just the defenders but the ones that have just arrived. Always here to help. That's my role as someone who has been at Chelsea for so long and the club means the world to me.' And that is the clubman role he wants some of his academy predecessors to take up. Advertisement Terry said: 'You've got Reece and there's a few other boys that really live and breathe Chelsea. 'But the boys that come in and really buy into the club, this is where the importance of Reece, Levi and the academy graduates really play an important role. 'This is how we do it. This is what we do at Chelsea. We win football trophies and we win cups on a regular basis. 'All the top clubs have that. Man United have that, Liverpool have that, Arsenal. Spurs not so much . . . Advertisement 6 Terry was an assistant under Dean Smith at Aston Villa and Leicester Credit: Getty 'But all the big football clubs have that — they find a way to win. 'So in terms of where we were last year . . . a little bit inexperienced. Thiago Silva left and all of that. But the team managed to find a way to win.' Terry also believes recent successes will be transformative for the Blues. Advertisement While the Conference League would have been scoffed at during Terry's era had it existed, now it is viewed as a stepping stone within the camp. He said: 'It gives you belief, back when we won our first one, the 2004-05 Carling Cup at Cardiff, it gives you belief that it can be done within the squad. 'When you're a young group, it ripples throughout the whole squad of players.' If this group can match what Terry and his team-mates did after that Carling Cup win 20 years ago, the Blues will be in for one hell of a ride once more. Advertisement John Terry is an investor in and ambassador for LEBOM — the low-stakes football betting app where It's You vs Your Mates. 18+ BeGambleAware

The 42
7 hours ago
- The 42
5 Irish players set for regular Premier League football and 7 on the periphery
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The 24-year-old's importance has been highlighted by the fact that new manager Keith Andrews has appointed his fellow Irishman as club captain. Collins was the only outfielder to play every single minute of Premier League action last season, and such reliability has drawn interest from elsewhere, with Tottenham and Liverpool among the clubs rumoured to be admirers of the Leixlip native. Josh Cullen Another Irish international who is the captain of his club. The 29-year-old featured in 44 of Burnley's 46 appearances as they were promoted from the Championship as runners-up last season. And Cullen featured in 25 of 38 matches as the Clarets were relegated from the Premier League the season before last. And the 42-times capped Ireland player is expected to play a prominent role again. 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Nathan Fraser One of the young players who has tended to go under the radar, the 20-year-old Ireland underage international made seven Premier League appearances for Wolves in the 2023-24 campaign, though it was amidst an injury crisis at the club. He has yet to score in the top flight, but he did find the net in both the FA Cup and League Cup last season. However, the fact that he started just once in the league suggested he had some way to go before establishing himself as a regular and the theory was backed up last season, when he failed to make a single appearance for the club and had a disappointing loan spell with Belgian side Zulte Waregem that was brought to a halt after five appearances. According to The Athletic, a substantial part of the last campaign saw Fraser work on a programme 'designed to improve his physicality'. 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Michael Obafemi Memorably contributed a goal and assist in Ireland's 3-0 June 2022 Nations League win over Scotland, but it's fair to say that it hasn't worked out as hoped for player and country alike since then. The striker has 12 caps in total, but has only featured once since 2023, largely owing to injury and form-related issues at club level. The 25-year-old did appear twice in Burnley's 2023-24 Premier League campaign, but has not worn the club's colours in almost two years, while he has not made a single league start for the team since joining from Swansea in January 2023. In the last two seasons, he has had relatively underwhelming loan spells in the Championship with Millwall and Plymouth, scoring four goals in 43 appearances. Another exit — either temporary or permanent — is expected, with a move to the Turkish side, Kasimpasa, already falling through during the summer.

The 42
8 hours ago
- The 42
Venus Williams receives wild card for US Open women's singles
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