Rhasidat Adeleke was the star of the show at the global athletic relays in the Bahamas, leading the Irish teams to two victories. Her impressive performances served as a smooth and successful qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Over 800 of the world’s top runners from 54 nations converged on Nassau, all eager to secure their place in Paris. The top two teams from Saturday’s heat qualified automatically, with the rest fighting for the remaining spots on Sunday. Adeleke was instrumental in helping both the Irish women’s 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m relays not only meet their target but surpass it by winning their races and smashing the Irish records. Now they progress to the finals on Sunday, with a real chance of securing podium finishes.
Adeleke, a 21-year-old sprinter from Dublin, ran the second leg in both races only 90 minutes apart. Her times were among the best 400m splits of the evening. Sharlene Mawdsley also ran impressively, sealing both victories for Ireland with her excellent final leg.
The first victory was claimed by the mixed 4x400m relay team made up of Cillin Greene, Adeleke, Thomas Barr, and Mawdsley. They finished in a record-breaking time of 3:12.50, beating second-placed Belgium (3:13.18) and third-placed Great Britain (3:13.52). Despite unforeseen logistical issues on her leg, Adeleke’s performance was particularly noteworthy.
Barr expressed optimism about their performance, saying they knew they had the capacity to qualify and win but execution was just as vital. He feels they did exactly what they had to do to achieve their goal.
“/”After their initial race as a unified team this season, there’s an air of excitement and anticipation for what the future holds. The group shows potential for remarkable speed, an encouraging sign this earlier on in the season.”
In spite of perfect conditions, the 4x400m women’s race posed a formidable challenge for Adeleke and Mawdsley, who were making their return barely an hour and a half after their previous race. Nevertheless, they showed no signs of stress and finished with another win, setting a new time at 3:24.38, which was over one and a half seconds faster than the past record. They were followed by Great Britain and Cuba in second and third places respectively, who finished at 3:24.89 and 3:31.56.
Adeleke admits to feeling a touch sleepy after an early morning start, but the motivation to potentially qualify for the Olympics is more than enough to keep her energy levels high. She performed admirably on the second leg of the relay once again, solidifying her world-class skills, especially in the lead up to her individual 400m race in Paris.
Mawdsley finished her run in less than 51 seconds for the second time, timing in at 50.98 seconds. Meanwhile, Adeleke once again finished in under 50 seconds, marking a remarkable 49.48 seconds run. Becker and Healy also made notable contributions to the race with Becker starting the run with a 52.62, without a running start, and Healy finishing with a 51.30.
“It couldn’t have gone any better for us, breaking two national records in two victories,” Mawdsley, the promising athlete from Tipperary said, reflecting on their extraordinary streak. “The feeling is hard to put into words. We achieved everything we set out to today.”
The teams now gear up for the finals on the second day and will be permitted to modify the line-up from their heat, this likely means that Adeleke may just participate in a single event this time, however, it’s yet to be confirmed.
Mawdsley had some extra motivation this time around. Although she was a part of the mixed relay team that secured Japan’s Olympic qualifications, she wasn’t picked to travel, neither was Adeleke.”/
Upon the conclusion of the dual-day event, the best 14 groups out of five relay races will secure their spots for the Paris competition. The remaining two positions will be allotted based on the highest rankings as of the closing date for qualifications, which is June 30th.
The men’s team includes Jack Raftery and Christopher O’Donnell, while Roisin Harrison, Lauren Cadden, and Rachal McCann will be representing the women’s team.
The schedule for the second day of the World Athletics Relays includes the Mixed 4x400m Relay final at 02:40 and the Women’s 4x400m Relay final at 03:10.