Rhasidat Adeleke, in a dominant and impressive fashion, ran one of the year’s fastest 100 metres on her home turf at the University of Texas. She initially set out to break Sarah Lavin’s Irish 100m record of 11.27 from the previous year, but ended up shattering the 11-second mark and outpacing two World Champions in the process, with a wind-assisted 10.84 seconds.
While the assistance of a +3.5 metre-per-second wind means her time can’t considered for record purposes, her outstanding performance remains noteworthy. The Dublin-born runner gears up now for the Paris Olympics where she will compete in the 400m race.
Despite her personal 100m best being 11.31, this was undeniably quicker, even with the wind working in her favour. Adeleke held the lead in the race from the 20m mark, ultimately triumphing over US runner Celera Barnes, who finished with a time of 10.94. Adeleke’s British training partner, Dina Asher-Smith, the 2019 World 200m Champion, clocked in second with 11.10; while Julien Alfred from St Lucia, the recent World Indoor 60m title holder, claimed third with a time of 11.15.
Adeleke’s notable 10.84 time is not too far off the year’s fastest, a 10.77 ran by Jacious Sears from the US. This shows promise for the young Dubliner.
In her career, Adeleke has set both indoor and outdoor records for 60m, 200m, 300m, and 400m, and she doesn’t hide her ambition for the 100m record. Her success here seems a matter of when, not if.
On Wednesday, the 21-year-old will travel to the Bahamas to participate in the 2024 World Relay Championships. She is part of Ireland’s mixed 4x400m and women’s 4x400m teams hoping to qualify for Paris, requiring a top-14 finish in the Championships.
It’s been suggested that Adeleke might participate in the European Athletics Championships to be held in Rome this June, likely in the 200m race, before shifting her focus towards Paris.
Elsewhere in the United States, the Villanova team, including the Irish pair Seán Donoghue and Charlie O’Donovan, achieved a remarkable victory at the celebrated Penn Relays in Philadelphia. They set a new collegiate record for the US in the 4xmile relay, clocking in at 15:51.91. Their coach, Marcus O’Sullivan, was once a member of the record-setting Irish 4x mile relay team that finished in an astounding 15:49.08 back in 1985 at Belfield, a feat which remains unbroken.
Meanwhile, at the Suzhou Diamond League in China, significant ranking points were secured by Mark English in his pursuit of Olympic qualification. He placed seventh in the 800 metres race with a time of 1:46.47. Later on, Brian Fay ended up 13th in the 5000 metres, with a timing of 13:25.37.