Team Ireland has arrived in Gaborone, Botswana for the 2026 World Athletics Relays which take place tomorrow (Saturday) and on Sunday at the country’s National Stadium.
Ireland will be competing in the women’s and mixed 4x400m, as well as the women’s 4x100m attempting to secure qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships which will be hosted by Beijing, China.
The top twelve teams in each event will qualify for the World Athletics Championships, with the top six teams in the mixed 4x400m relay qualifying for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.
Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) will captain the team, hoping to bring her wealth of experience to the competition. The Tipperary sprinter is named on all three relay teams and is returning to the Irish vest for the first time since the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Olympic relay finalist Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock AC) is also named in the women’s and mixed 4x400m relay squads. Rachel McCann (North Down AC) who raced as part of the women’s 4x400m team in Tokyo last year joins Becker and Mawdsley in both 4x400m selections.
18-year-old’s Molly Daly (Kilkenny City Harriers) and Erin Friel (Letterkenny AC) are called up to the senior relay squad for the first time. Daly ran a time of 53.74 seconds in March indoors in only her third ever race over the distance, while Friel, who is a European Youth Olympic medallist, also ran a personal best of 54.20 seconds indoors.
Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers) returns to the World Athletics Relays once again, having played key roles for both the mixed and men’s teams in Guangzhou last year. He is joined in the mixed relay by young athletes Sean Doggett (Athenry AC) and Fintan Dewhirst (Tír Chonaill AC) who finished first and second respectively at March’s 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships.
The Women’s 4x100m relay team return to the event for the first time since 2021. Molly Scott (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) featured on that team, and she is selected in the squad, where she is are joined by Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) who made her first international individual appearance in five years recently at the World Indoor Championships. Precious Akpe-Moses (Blackrock AC) and Katie Bergin (Moyne AC) could make their senior international debut if selected to race.
Twelve teams in each of the events will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
World Championships places are up for grabs on both days of action. On the first day, the top two teams in each of the four heats will advance to the finals on day two, while also securing their qualification for the World Athletics Championships.
In the finals on day two, teams will compete for prize money and obtain preferential World Championships lane seeding positions.
All other teams will compete on day two in the additional round where the top two teams in each of the two heats will also qualify for the World Athletics Championships.
TEAM SELECTION:
| Athlete | Event | Club | Coach(es) |
| Sharlene Mawdsley | Women’s 4x400m, Mixed 4x400m & Women’s 4x100m | Newport AC | Tony Lester |
| Sophie Becker | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m | Raheny Shamrock AC | Gerard O’Donnell |
| Rachel McCann | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m | North Down AC | Ian Neely |
| Molly Daly | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m | Kilkenny City Harriers | Robert Daly & Fiona Norwood |
| Arlene Crossan | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m | Finn Valley AC | Shauna Carlin |
| Erin Friel | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m | Letterkenny AC | Kathryn McDevitt |
| Jenna Breen | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m | City of Lisburn AC | John Davis |
| Jack Raftery | Mixed 4x400m | Donore Harriers | Gerard O’Donnell & Aideen Sinnott |
| Sean Doggett | Mixed 4x400m | Athenry AC | Stephen Doggett |
| Fintan Dewhirst | Mixed 4x400m | Tír Chonaill AC | Drew & Hayley Harrison |
| Ciara Neville | Women’s 4x100m | Emerald AC | Noelle Morrissey |
| Precious Akpe-Moses | Women’s 4x100m | Blackrock AC (Louth) | Andy Paul |
| Molly Scott | Women’s 4x100m | St. Laurence O’Toole AC | Deirdre Scott |
| Mollie O’Reilly | Women’s 4x100m | Dundrum South Dublin AC | Daniel Kilgallon |
| Sarah Leahy | Women’s 4x100m | Killarney Valley AC | Daniel Kilgallon |
| Katie Bergin | Women’s 4x100m | Moyne AC | Alan Mahoney & Joan Healy
|
| Kate Doherty | Women’s 4x400m & Mixed 4x400m – Non-Travelling Reserve | Dundrum South Dublin AC | Tonja Buford Bailey |
| Chris O’Donnell | Mixed 4x400m – Non-Travelling Reserve | North Sligo AC |
NOTE: Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) was initially selected but has since withdrawn.
Where to Watch?
The event will be livestreamed on Eurovision Sport HERE (registration required).
Provisional Race Times (Irish time):
Saturday May 2nd
1:30pm – Mixed 4x400m – Round One – Heat 1/3
2:05pm – Women’s 4x100m – Round One – Heat 1/3
3:05pm – Women’s 4x400m – Round One – Heat 2/3
Sunday May 3rd
1:20pm – Mixed 4x400m – Round Two *
1:44pm – Women 4x400m – Round Two *
2:30pm – Women 4x100m – Round Two *
3:13pm – Mixed 4x400m – Final *
3:25pm – Women 4x100m – Final *
3:40pm – Women 4x400m – Final *
*Subject to qualification
