Rhasidat puts world on notice with another stunning display

OPPORTUNITY is plentiful for Rhasidat Adeleke after she put the world on notice with a gold medal win at the NCAA Championships in Texas and broke her own 400m national record in the process.

The Tallaght Athletic Club athlete, who is representing the University of Texas, became the first Irish sprinter to win an NCAA title after registering a meet-record time of 49.20 on Sunday, June 11.

Britton Wilson of Arkansas held the meet record with a time of 49.36, and she came into the 400m decider as a favourite.

However, Adeleke won in a championship record and Irish record time, a time which would have seen her medal on the world stage.

The 20-year-old’s 49.20 time bettered her previous best of 49.54 which she clocked just last month.

“It’s me against everybody else, I’m not focused on the noise about any other athletes” Adeleke told ESPN after her race.

“At the end of the day, I can’t control what everybody else does.

“It was kind of a blur to be honest.

“I just wanted to go out there, give my all, don’t run scared.

“I’m always running scared in the 400m, I’m not really used to the pace, I don’t really know how it works yet.

“But, trust God, trust my coach, trust myself and that’s exactly what I did out there today.

Training under Edrick Floréal in Texas, Adeleke only started racing in the 400m distance nine-months-ago and is already at the top of her game competing in the highly-competitive NCAA circuit.

However, speculation is rife that Adeleke may have raced her last race on the collegiate circuit after her showstopping performance.

The lure of turning professional could be too strong for Adeleke, with big-figure contracts mooted for athletes at the top coming out of college.

Floreál previously said that he would not be surprised to see Adeleke being offered a six-figure deal from a company to represent them in the professional ranks, known as the Diamond League.

Although saying he will not stand in the way of turning professional, Floreál has said he will continue to coach her in Austin through to the Paris Olympics, which is scheduled for next summer.

Adeleke is on course to graduate in May 2024 with a degree in corporate communication, and she does also want to pursue a masters in finance.

Before that, Adeleke will be targeting the World Outdoor Championships in Budapest in August.

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