Rhasidat wins gold with record run

TALLAGHT’S Rhasidat Adeleke won gold at the NCAA Championships in Texas, today June 11, breaking her own Irish 400m record in the process.

The 20-year-old became the first Irish sprinter to win a NCAA title after she registered a meet-record time of 49.20.

Adeleke broke the 50-second barrier for the first time in April when she finished second behind Britton Wilson, and the Tallaght native got the better of the American this time around when competing on her home track at the University of Texas.

In an interview after the race, Rhasidat was asked about her strategy going into the race, she said: “I just have to trust myself, trust my strength and just go out there and do the best I could.”

She also spoke about the importance of balance: “I’m just all about balance, I’m an athlete, I’m a student, I take my academics very seriously, and you know I think it’s important to put social life in there too. I just make sure everything is balanced and I’m not really focused on one particular thing.”

The performance moves Adeleke into the top 20 on the World 400m all-time list, while she is the first Irish NCAA champion since Mary Cullen won 5000m gold for Providence College in 2006.

This was Adeleke’s seventh national record of 2023. In April she demolished the Irish 200m record with a time of 22.34.