‘I definitely owe Tallaght a lot for my success’-Rhasidat

IT’S LESS than a week before Christmas and Rhasidat Adeleke is out for an early morning 7am run at Tallaght Athletics Club track on the Greenhills Road.

It’s a place the champion sprinter is all too familiar with as it’s where it all started for the 21-year-old under the watchful eyes of coaches at the club.

Rhasidat joined the club as a young 12-year-old and this week she speaks with The Echo reflecting on one of her most successful years on the track with University of Texas, turning professional, U23 Athlete of the Year winner and looking forward to 2024 Olypmic Games year.

In January, Rhasidat set out her stall for the year by setting a new Irish indoor record time of 22.52, besting her previous record and clocking a world-leading time.

In July of this year, Rhasidat announced that she would be foregoing her final year of eligibility at the University of Texas and would instead be turning professional.

A month later in the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary, she finished fourth in 50.13s, behind Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino (48.76), Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek (49.57) and Sada Williams of Barbados (49.60) For the first three months of this year, Rhasidat was making headlines week after week by breaking records and in her second year in the University of Texas, she now holds the three fastest times in Texas history.

“Yes it has been a busy year, we had so many indoor races and then went on to outdoors and the nationals and the World Championships so it’s been pretty hectic,” she tells The Echo.

“Some indoor championships went pretty well early on and then I went on to break some Irish records in 200m and 400m so it was really exciting to see me making so much progress so early in the year”.

After finishing fourth in the worlds, she went on to say: “I feel I can take it on and correct a lot of issues from this year.

“I will come back stronger in 2024, be a better runner and better physically and mentally and I’m trying to improve my performances” she added.

She also claimed a silver medal in the 400m final at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico in March.

Under coach Edrick Floréal University of Texas, Rhasidat started training in the 400m late last year and has excelled over the distance.

In February, she smashed a 21-year-old national record at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic with a time of 50.45.

A few weeks later, at the Big 12 Conference final, she set the bar even higher, breaking her own national record with an improved time of 50.33.

Since moving to Texas, Rhasidat now holds indoor records over 60m, 200m and 400m, whilst also holding the 200m and 400m outdoor equivalents.

“Training is going very well, definitely working on my weaknesses, and my strengths and making sure that I can make that progress in all my competitions.

“Its great to be back home on the track in Tallaght.

“It feels like I never left to be honest.

Just all the memories I have on that track are great.

“I started with the club when I was 12-years-old.

“They [the club] greatly assisted me while I was at Tallaght and they still support me even now.

“I’m really grateful to have met them and be part of Tallaght AC, they show me so much love, any time I’m home, I’m always looking forward to popping down to see them and make sure they are all OK.

“I’m really grateful for them because they definitely helped me improve as an athlete but also as a person they showed me many attributes that I carry to this day.

“While I was there they helped me get into the races, made sure I was at training and even outside training helped me get to the next level.

“I definitely owe Tallaght a lot for my success.

“I feel like sport has given me so much and I would definitely tell all the kids to join and even if you are not competitive just do it for fitness, the mental aspect, getting away from all the things you have to deal with on a daily basis and zone out and enjoy the time with your friends and make some friends and connect with people.

“Its an amazing thing to be part of.

“I’m looking forward to 2024, I’m just trying to make sure I’m best prepared and making those improvements, so I be can be exactly where I want to be when it’s most important.

“Yes it’s is going to be a big year, trying to make sure I’m ready whether it’s in July or August.

“I’m a professional now, it’s not as tricky with the races, I pick my races now more carefully and hopefully I peak at the right time.

“Turning professional is good, it’s definitely different but I have been making this adjustment and getting a lot of races.

“Yes I miss home a lot, my friends and family, but I have got used to living in Texas and I have a good group of friends over there.”

Having been named The Echo Sports Star of the Year in 2022, the sky’s the limit for one of the country’s rising stars with the Olympics in Paris in July.