'It hurts so much' - Heartbreak for Ireland in women's 4x400m final
Mawdsley 4 The 400m Sharlene Finishing In Heartbreak: Relay The Left, After X Adeleke, Rhasidat And Healy Relay Women's Phil Sophie React Team, Pic: Brendan Final Team ireland From Fourth Moran/sportsfile Becker,
So, so close.
The quartet of Sophie Becker, Adeleke, Phil Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley just missed out on a medal in the women’s 4x400m final as they finished fourth, 0.18 seconds away from bronze.
Plenty of the performance was positive. They smashed the national record. It was the first time ever that a team has broken 3:20 and not won a medal in the event.
Sharlene Mawdsley clocked 49.14 on the anchor leg. The result was still devastating with Britain clinching third in 3:19.72.
“Honestly, I don't have much words. it hurts so much,” said Mawdsley.
"If we had come sixth it would have probably been less hard, but we wanted that medal so bad and I feel that I fell short because (when) you run the last leg, and there has been so many days when I've been placed for my last leg but today it just didn't go my way and that is how the game goes.
"I'm sure I ran fast but it just wasn't enough so yeah, it is heartbreaking. But again, if you had told us last year that we would come fourth at the Olympics, I wouldn't have believed anyone.
"It is rough, but that's how sport goes.”
Mawdsley, who turned 26 the same day, took over in third place. Ultimately, USA secured gold while the Netherlands won silver.
“It was hard because I know there are the best anchors in the world on the last leg, I have to believe I deserve to be there as well,” she said.
“You have Amber Anning and Femke Bol behind you, I tried to go with Amber as long as I could and you know Femke is breathing down your neck but the line just came a little too late today. That is how it is. It hurts.”
For Rhasidat Adeleke, it is two fourth-place finishes in 24 hours at Stade de France.
“I feel mixed emotions,” the 21-year-old Dubliner said.
“I'm really, really proud of the team for us to even be in an Olympic final and to come fourth. I think fourth place is obviously the worst place to come.
“It's just so close to a medal but if you had told us that we'd be coming fourth at the Olympic Games last year, we'd be so delighted.
"But it is because we're here now, and we're such competitors. And we know we have so much to give, but that was an amazing performance.
“I'm so proud of them. So, proud of us even being here at this point. And I think we're really going to be a threat in years to come.”