Ireland mixed relay team power into World Championships

Ireland powered through to the final of the 4x400m mixed relay at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China.

And as a result, it takes the team into the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later this year.

Competing in a strong heat alongside one of the favourites, USA, Conor Kelly took the baton from the gun and ran a solid opening leg before handing to Rhasidat Adeleke for the second lap.

And the Tallaght athlete ran a very composed 400m to work her way right into the plum placings before handing to Cillín Greene who maintained a strong position allowing Ireland to attack on the final lap.

It was the experienced Sharlene Mawdsley who took on the responsibility to take Ireland into the top two to secure safe passage to Sunday's event and more importantly the upcoming World Championships.

And it was a perfect closing 400m from Mawdsley who paced herself beautifully to work herself into second place and comfortably came home ahead of Poland with just the USA ahead.

Ireland's time of 3:12.56 was around two and a half seconds slower than the national record of 3:09.92, which was set at the European Championships in Rome last summer.

The quartet were fourth fastest overall from the three qualifying heats, behind USA, Belgium and Australia.

Speaking after the race, Adeleke hinted there is more to come: "I was just making sure I put my team in the best position. It's still early in the season for me, but I’m excited to be here to have secured qualification. That’s what we came her for and I’m really proud of the team".

The women's 4x400m squad will get a second chance to qualify for this summer's World Championships in tomorrow's second round after finishing third in the third heat of the female-only event.

Sophie Becker had a strong return the track, handing over in first position on the opening leg, running an impressive 51.04 split in what is her first outing of the 2025 season and her first appearance since the Olympic Games last year.

Lauren Cadden and Rachel McCann took on the second and third legs respectively, but a rapid 48.50 split from Germany's Mona Myers on the third leg, left the Irish in third position handing over to Phil Healy on the final leg.

Healy made a measured effort on the back straight but was unable to get back into the lucrative top two positions that guaranteed Worlds qualification on the first try. The heat was won by South Africa in a new national record of 3:28.01, with the German squad taking the second championship qualifying slot. Ireland ended up with a season's best time of 3:30.06.

The other teams that have bagged qualification in the first round include, Olympic champions USA, with Great Britain and Northern Ireland being among the highest profile teams to miss out.

The Irish women will face Australia in their second round tomorrow at 12:24 Irish time tomorrow, where the top three in each race will make it to the final and secure World Championship qualification.

With unlimited changes allowed to the team for tomorrow's second round, Mawdsley and Adeleke are expected to move into the women's side in a bid to secure qualification and forgo their chances at a medal in the mixed event.

The men's squad will also be in the hunt for qualification on day two after finishing sixth in their heat. In a race won in 3:01.23 by Botswana, the Irish were over four seconds off the pace with a 3:05.47 clocking.

In the opening leg Christopher O'Donnell handed over to Callum Baird in fifth position, who was overtaken by the Netherlands to take up the rear.

The squad didn't claw back any ground in the final two legs with Marcus Lawler and Jack Raftery unable to get them any closer to contention.

The USA finished third in the fourth heat and will also be hoping to qualify for the World Championships in tomorrow's second round.

In the second round tomorrow the men's squad will go in lane one, with the USA, Poland and Germany all in their inside they will have plenty to chase as they bid to make their first global championship since the World Indoor Championships in 2022 where they finished third in their heat.

The last time the the men's squad were in action at a global outdoor championships was in 2015, when the national record of 3:01.67 was set by Brian Gregan, Brian Murphy, Thomas Barr and Mark English in Beijing.

Watch the World Athletics Relays live on Eurovision Sport.