Rhasidat Adeleke, a sprinter from Dublin studying at the University of Texas, left a noteworthy impression during the 96th Texas Relays, an esteemed outdoor race part of the global circuit. She contributed to a new worldwide best in the 4×200 metres while running the second leg on her residential track. Alongside her Texas teammates Lanae Tava-Thomas, Julien Alfred and British athlete Dina Asher-Smith, they finished triumphantly at 1:27.05. This achievement managed to outrun the existing world record of 1:27.46, established by a US team during the 2000 Penn Relays. However, the record-setting claim is invalid because the quartet doesn’t hail from the same country. Remarkably, Alfred equaled Marion Jones by running the fastest-ever anchor leg of 20.8, securing her place among the Olympic favourites. Meanwhile, the Texas university female team, which included Lauren Lewis, Dejanea Oakley, Carletta Bernard and Kenondra Davis, completed the race at 1:32.70, securing third place. For Adeleke, who’s in her last year at the University of Texas and now competes professionally, this performance serves as a timely warm-up for the World Relays set for May. The Irish women’s team is aiming to secure a place in the Paris Olympics during this event. Adeleke, aged 21, has also expressed an ambition to contest in the European Championships in Rome in June as a part of her Olympic training.
