Sharlene Mawdsley said she was "devastated" on Friday after a hamstring issue curtailed her hopes of a medal at this year's European Indoor Championships.
The Irish sprinter was part of the mixed 4x400m relay team which came 5th in Thursday night's final and was one of the strongest hopes on Team Ireland for this year's championships.
She showed why she is rated so highly with her performance in Thursday's race, with her 49.93 split on the final leg the fastest of any female runner in the race.
However, she was absent from the start list for Friday morning's 400m individual heats, and revealed it was due to a hamstring strain picked up in the warm-up.
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Sharlene Mawdsley explains injury frustration after European Indoors withdrawal
'I'd say it'll be a flight home ASAP... It's just devastating I won't be out there' - Sharlene Mawdsley talks to @DavidGillick after a hamstring injury forced her withdrawal from the European Indoor Championships #Apeldoorn2025
Watch live on @rte2 and @rteplayer pic.twitter.com/mj8Qnk9V73— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 7, 2025
Speaking to RTÉ's David Gillick from Apeldoorn, Sharlene Mawdsley confirmed that she would be getting a "flight home ASAP," after her withdrawal from the European Indoor Championships.
Mawdsley said an ever-worsening hamstring strain had forced her to withdraw from the 400m, and that she would now anxiously await scans to ascertain the level of damage done.
I was in my warm-up this morning and my hamstring just kept getting worse and worse.
I wasn't even in my spikes, I was still striding in my runners. It was just too sore, it wasn't meant to be today.
My hamstring was a bit tight yesterday. I had physio done just before I went into the call and it kind of settled it.
I felt really good yesterday even after. This morning, I felt good as well. It just persisted today in the warm-up and it was just something, if I had gone on to the track, that would have gotten worse and worse.
I didn't want to tear it completely. I'll have to wait for an MRI and an ultrasound to see what the actual damage is.
A European gold medallist in Rome and an Olympian in 2024, Mawdsley was the face of this Irish team entering the indoors in Apeldoorn, and she was candid in describing her disappointment.
The Tipperary sprinter admitted that she was "devastated" to be forced to withdraw, and that her self-belief had been at an all-time high after Thursday night's final.
"It's obviously really devastating," Mawdsley said, "I really wanted to go out and run.
"After last night, I had so much confidence. It's not often I would back myself to think I could make the final. I really believed I could."
It was tough to hear one of Ireland's brightest athletic talents struggling to come to terms with having to pull out after reaching such a high point of confidence.
However, Mawdsley took an admirable perspective on the situation, saying that her focus for 2025 had always been on the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
"September was always the focus for us, we never really put a focus on indoors. But when you're in good shape, you want to show the world.
"At least I got to do it a little bit yesterday, my split time was really fast and it showed that I was definitely in PB shape.
"It's just devastating not to be able to go out and show that today."
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