Tallaght track star Adeleke turns professional

RHASIDAT Adeleke will make her professional debut this week after taking the decision to forgo the remainder of her time in the collegiate ranks.

The Tallaght superstar is set to take the track for the first time as a pro athlete on Tuesday at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial meet in Hungary before debuting in the coveted Diamond League.

Scheduled to race over 200m, the event on Tuesday will serve as a warm-up for the 20-year-old ahead of making her professional debut over 400m at the Diamond League meet in Monoco on Friday.

An Irish record holder over both 200m and 400m, Adeleke lowered her own previous national record in the latter with a 49.20 in June to bring the curtain down on her NCAA career.

A Tallaght AC athlete, Adeleke rounded out her second year at the University of Texas with the record-breaking time at the NCAA Championships on her home track last month.

After an impressive time training under coach Edrick Floréal in Texas, Adeleke has decided that now is the right time to skip her senior year and take the step up into the professional ranks.

“I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the University of Texas these past three years,” Adeleke announced on social media on Sunday evening.

“I couldn’t have made a better decision! I’d like to thank absolutely everyone who supported me along the way and those that helped me become who I am today.

“However, I’d like to announce that I am forgoing the remainder of my eligibility and becoming a professional athlete.”

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

Speculation had been rife that Adeleke may have raced her last race on the collegiate circuit after her showstopping performances wearing the Texas Longhoerns bib in May and June.

The lure of turning professional proved to 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.

The former Presentation Community College student is targeting the Olympic Games in Paris in Summer 2024, with the Diamond League set to serve up some stiff competition in preparation.

Rhasidat Adeleke will make her Diamond League debut at 8.15pm in Monaco on Friday, and the level of competition is fierce with Olympic gold and silver medallist Natalia Kaczmarek.

However, Adeleke is top seed with her 49.20 PB marginally quicker than the Polish athlete Kaczmarek, who has a season best and PB of 49.48.