By Sinead Dalton

Copyright evoke

It has been a year of highs and lows for Sharlene Mawdsley, and during the summer, the Olympian swapped sports… if only for 70 minutes.

Sharlene and Tipperary hurler Michael Breen nearly broke the internet when they posted a picture, letting fans know that they were dating.

Still going strong, the couple has already faced hard times together, with Sharlene’s dad passing away, but coming out the other side has made them that much stronger.

Joining Oliver Callan on his morning radio show on RTÉ, Sharlene spoke about the All-Ireland final and recalled the moment her county, Tipperary, beat Cork.

‘It was amazing to watch and the sense of pride that the county has for hurling is just second to none, so yeah it was really special to be a part of it,’ she said.

When asked if the power couple trains together, she said, ‘Yeah, we do sometimes.’ Laughing, she said, ‘In case you are wondering why Mikey has got so fast this year, it is obviously because of me.

‘He has helped me out a lot in my sessions this year, and on all the hard days after my dad had passed away, he was there at the track every day because he was training for the All-Irelands.

‘He wouldn’t do many of my sessions with me at that time, but he would be there with the video or with the stopwatch. So the support I had from him was very special.’

And while the match may have been in July, the celebrations in the county still continue with the couple hosting the McCarthy Cup in their home.

Sharlene posted a picture of the cup sitting on her kitchen counter, and later on that day, Michael headed out and visited some of the kids in the local area.

The celebrations won’t end there as Tipperary will be attending the All-Stars awards in November, but when asked about it, Sharlene laughed and said, ‘Yeah, I get to wear a fancy dress, that is all I know.