Delight for Rashidat at European Youth Olympics

TALLAGHT Athletic’s Club’s Rashidat Adeleke continued her remarkable form in the 200m, winning silver for Ireland at the European Youth Olympics, in Gyor, Hungary.

Fresh from doing the 100m and 200m sprint double at the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships, a lot of positive optimism surrounded Presentation Terenure pupil.

In fact the member of the Greenhills Road Club stormed into the finals of the 200m event, coming first in a personal best time of 24.25.

Adeleke knew she needed to run the race of her life to have any chance of a medal, and when the starter’s gun was fired, the Irish Under-16 indoor champion launched out of the blocks like never before, which would see her finish a brilliant second, and claim the much coveted silver medal, in a time of 23.81.

This is the fastest time the Tallaght teenager has ever run, but sadly, due to the wind speed on the day being outside the legal limit, her Personal Best time will not officially stand.

Her coach Johnny Fox was full of praise for the rising star of Irish Women’s athletics “She has made a giant step of late, her focus on her training is second to none, and she has made amazing strides for someone her age”

As to the future for his protégé, Fox had this to say “The big picture is the Olympics, we will see nearer the time if she will compete in Tokyo or not.”

“Given her current form, I have no doubt she will be capable or achieving the qualifying times for Tokyo 2020, but given her young age, we will have to asses her mental and physical state, before we decide if she goes for it, or holds off till the Olympics after that”.

The Tallaght Athletics Coach also shared a memory of another giant of Irish athletics Sonia O’Sullivan; “I remember all those years ago when I won the Irish Half Marathon title down in Cobh, and as I passed her house, a 13-year-old Sonia O’Sullivan waved and cheered me on.

“I really think Rashidat could be the next big thing in Irish Athletics.”

The Irish girls 200m record stretches all the way back to 1978, when Michelle Walsh ran 23.51 in the Dutch town of Sittard.

Given her amazing form to date, one would not rule out the Tallaght runner doing what many others have tried and failed to do over the last 40 years, and claim the Irish National Record as her own.

The new European Girls 200m Silver Medallist spoke to The Echo about her success in Hungary.

“I never thought I could get as far as I have when I started running, and I would like to thank my coach Johnnie and my school Presentation Terenure for the focus the school gives to athletics”

When asked if she had Walsh’s long-standing Irish 200m record in her sights, the Marfield resident replied: “If I keep training and improving myself, I know it is something I could achieve”

Next up for Adeleke is the Dublin Indoor Championships in Abbottstown, and then the Irish Indoor Championships, the venue for which, has yet to be announced.