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Paris Olympic star Rhasidat Adeleke's path to track success was a rollercoaster ride that saw her not being the fastest after she joined her first club.
Irish Olympic queen Rhasidat Adeleke was one of the famous stars at the Paris Games, having glazed the track with not just her talent but stunning beauty that was rated highly by sports fans.
The speedster is the fastest female sprinter in Irish history and one of the world's best talents in track and field.
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Adeleke had a brilliant outing in her maiden Olympics in Paris, where she became the first Irish track athlete to qualify for an Olympic women's 400m final and finished fourth in 49.28s, behind the winner, Marileidy Paulino, who ran an Olympic record of 48.17s, Salwa Eid Naser in second in 48.53s, and Natalia Kaczmaerek third in 48.98s.
She is the first Irish woman to break the400m 50-second barrier and holds seven national records (60m indoors, 100m outdoors, 200 m indoors and outdoors, 300 m indoors, and 400m indoors and outdoors).
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15:58 - 28.09.2024
'I didn't realize she'll know who I was' - Irish track star Rhasidat Adeleke relives surreal moment of meeting Rihanna
Following the captivating viral moment between Rihanna and Rhasidat Adeleke, the Irish track star relived the moment meeting one of the most famous people in the world who's a huge fan of her talent.
Interestingly, Adeleke's path to track success wasn't all rosy, which she recounts as a rollercoaster ride in an interview with EVOKE.
The 22-year-old athlete grew up in Tallaght, south Dublin, where her talent was nurtured by Tallaght Athletics Club. She trained in the club for years, along with her two siblings, before relocating to Austin to attend the University of Texas.
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"It was fun! I just remember all the moments where I spent time with my friends, just having fun. We'd always just be outside playing tip the can, chasing, having water fights," she said.
"It was just where everything started. That's where my athletics club was, that's where my school was, so it'll always have a special place in my heart because who knows where I'd be if I didn't grow up in that area? I just had a great experience there."
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15:01 - 20.10.2024
Has Sha'Carri Richardson's full potential been actualized? A look into the world's fastest women in 2024 season
Examining the 2024 season of the world's fastest women - Sha'Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred. Has either of them actualized their full potential?
While she was a student at St Mark's National School in Springfield, she ran for the primary school in athletics competitions, where she won the 100m sprint every year.
It was her PE teacher Dee Lunny who spotted her natural talent and encouraged her to sign up for the local athletics club aged 12, telling her: "You need to join a club". "She gave me the application form and everything that I needed to get registered and it went pretty smoothly and I joined the club," revealed Adeleke.
When the multiple European medallist joined the Tallaght Athletics Club, it wasn't all pure talent as she needed to work harder, having found out there were faster sprinters at club level.
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"When I actually joined the athletics club and I was against other athletes and other fast people, I was like, "Oh, I'm not special, like they're all fast as well". When I first did my first race in like club division, I wasn't winning and I wasn't like at the top and I wasn't doing that well.
'I wasn't used to that because when I was running, playing, chasing and beating boys, like "I'm the best thing to ever exist"... It was very hard to get past that barrier but I just kept going. I was like, "I love this so much. I'm just going to give it the best opportunity and give it my full effort, and let's see how it turns out," she recalled.
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13:52 - 21.10.2024
Track Athlete of the Year: Julien Alfred, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Faith Kipyegon make tough women's list
The nominees for the World Athletics Women's Athlete of the Year has been announced, featuring Julien Alfred, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Faith Kipyegon.
With track activities done and dusted this year, Adeleke will be gunning for a memorable 2025 season, having the goal of medaling in the women's 400m event at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
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