Ireland’s relay squads face a tense Sunday in Gaborone after all three teams missed out on automatic qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships on day one of the World Athletics Relays. The mixed 4x400m, women’s 4x100m and women’s 4x400m teams must now rely on the repechage route to keep their Beijing hopes alive.
The mixed 4x400m team came closest. Jack Raftery, Sophie Becker, Seán Doggett and Sharlene Mawdsley finished fourth in their heat in 3:12.05, behind the United States, Spain and Australia. Sharlene produced a strong anchor leg, but Ireland had too much ground to recover and ended up outside the automatic qualification spots.
There was further disappointment for the women’s 4x100m quartet of Molly Scott, Ciara Neville, Mollie O’Reilly and Sarah Leahy, who failed to finish after a changeover error. That mistake proved costly, but the repechage round offers them a chance to respond.
Ireland’s women’s 4x400m team of Rachel McCann, Jenna Breen, Molly Daly and Arlene Crossan delivered a more composed run, finishing fourth in 3:29.93. Daly’s involvement also marked a notable family milestone in Irish athletics history as the first a family of three generations have been capped for Ireland.
Wishing all teams the very best tomorrow.
Sunday May 3rd 2026 Schedule
Race Times (Irish time):
1:20pm – Mixed 4x400m (Round 2)
1:44pm – Women’s 4x400m (Round 2)
2:30pm – Women’s 4x100m (Round 2)
#IrishRunner #IrishAthletics #WorldRelays
Pictured : Sophie Becker
Photo : Sportsfile
