An injury left Sharlene Mawdsley heartbroken, but her pals and fellow Olympians Sophie Becker and Phil Healy saw this as a challenge to perk her right back up.
In July, the 27-year-old lined up alongside Rhasidat Adeleke for the final of the National Championships.
Things were looking promising for Sharlene, who was defending her national title, but she pulled up after just 80 metres in agony, with what appeared to be a worrying muscle injury.
In images from the event, Sharlene looked distraught as she collapsed to the ground. She was later led off the track by her supportive boyfriend, GAA player Mikey Breen.
Later, the sprinter revealed she suffered a hamstring injury and is ‘doing everything possible’ to get her back in pristine shape as the Europeans loom.
On Monday, Sharlene returned to Dublin and was greeted with the sweetest gesture from her friends.
Phil and Sophie organised for Sharlene to receive a card, which read: ‘You’re amazing. Read that a few times. I’ll wait.’
An emotional Sharlene wrote: ‘It’s a bank holiday Monday, you’re back to Dublin for another week of intense rehab and this meets you at the door.
‘@sophiebecker10 & @phil_healy had me crying in the early hours of the morning.’
‘Unfortunately, I picked up a hamstring injury at Nationals,’ Sharlene shared last Monday. ‘I’m working closely with my medical team, and we’re doing everything possible to get me back as soon as we can.
‘There’s a lot to work towards over the coming weeks, and right now my focus is on doing everything I can each day.
‘Thank you for all the support and well wishes; they really mean a lot,’ Sharlene, whose dad sadly passed away in June 2025, concluded.
Sharlene was inundated with supportive messages from well-known faces, including Rhasidat, Niamh de Brún, and even astronaut Norah Patten, who wrote: ‘Wishing you a speedy recovery.’
Last week, the sportswoman was named in a 20-person Irish squad for the upcoming European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, which run from August 10 to 16.
She’s listed to compete in the 400m sprint and the women’s 4x400m relay, alongside Rhasidat Adeleke, Sophie Becker, Rachel McCann, Cliodhna Manning, and Arlene Crossan.
