Here comes Rhasidat.
After yet another brilliant and gutsy run, Rhasidat Adeleke broke her own national 400m record to finish in fifth place in the European championships in Munich. The European senior championships. And she’s 19 years of age.
Having gone for it from the start, the Tallaght athlete was in the bronze medal position with just 50 metres left to run but agonisingly, she was just bumped out of the medals in the closing stages. That being said, it was still a phenomenal achievement for the youngster, who ran a blistering time of 50.53, and looks to have a glorious future in sprinting ahead of her.
'She left nothing on the track' – Rhasidat Adeleke runs a new Irish record in a brave fifth place finish in the final of the 400m, won by Femke Bol #Munich2022 #rtesport pic.twitter.com/j9F57xcRjq
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 17, 2022
Afterwards, she gave a brilliant interview to fellow 400m runner David Gillick on RTE.
“I gave it all I had,” she said.
“It wasn’t enough for a medal but it’s a new national record and I’m happy! I’m so new to the 400ms, it’s only my sixth race in it. I’ll train for it this fall and then see what I can do next year.
“It wasn’t enough, unfortunately. Honestly, I was really hoping for a medal, but I have to consider everything.
“So many people support us, in Ireland, and I just wanted to give them something back. Thank you for supporting me and rooting for me. Every message, I really, really appreciate it!”
Rhasidat Adeleke has just lit up our tv screens, on and off the track ☘️pic.twitter.com/nArgLoKKqe
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 17, 2022
And later on, Rob Heffernan, Derval O’Rourke and Sonia O’Sullivan gave her the praise she deserved.
“She’s won all of the titles at junior level in Europe, and she believes she’s good enough. She went for it and at such a young age, to be hoping for a medal, that’s just brilliant. She’s been an absolute pleasure to watch,” said Heffernan.
“Everything about Rhasidat is a breath of fresh air. I could see her shaking her head at the end, that shows the expectations she has for herself. Everyone in the world can see now that this girl is coming, and that she means business,” added O’Rourke.
“She’s been a star from a very young age,” added Sonia O’Sullivan.
“She can see now what she’s capable of. Already, she’s looking forward to the relay later on in the week.
