Although Rhasidat Adeleke is displaying the exceptional prowess that has broken records in the past, she expressed her recognitions for not attending the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow last weekend, keeping her eyes on the upcoming opportunities. Speaking from her base at the University of Texas at Austin, she disclosed her intention to commence her outdoor season in a little over three weeks, lining up multiple races at the esteemed Texas Relays at the end of March.
Adeleke has also pledged her involvement in the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas from May 4 to 5, where both Irish women’s 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay teams will be aiming to secure their places in the Paris qualification rush. After this, she looks forward to the European Athletics Championships due at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, from June 7 to 12, presenting one of the last spaces to grab a Olympic qualifications before the Paris championship.
Even though Adeleke had set new milestones for the Irish indoor 60m, 200m, and 300m before Glasgow, she and her coach Edrick Floreal decided that these championships were not to be their prime focus for this season. “The decision was lingering because I was still deeply involved in my training cycle. Following a few 400m, 60m, and 200m races, my coach and I decided to continue our training to be better prepared, instead of a two-week rest period to prepare for the World [Indoor] Championships,” she says.
Adeleke also revealed not watching much of the Glasgow events, despite catching some social media posts related to the fifth-place accomplishments achieved by Sarah Lavin in the 60m hurdles and women’s 4x400m relay and the debatable disqualification of Sharlene Mawdsley having qualified for the 400m finals.
Rhasidat Adeleke, a well-known figure in athletics, recently admitted that she doesn’t follow track and field events as avidly as might be expected. While she may monitor the performance of the Irish team and some of her colleagues by checking updates and videos on social platforms, it’s not something she immerses herself in to a large extent.
However, she expressed great enjoyment in witnessing the successful performances of her fellow competitors. She noted the unfortunate incidences of Irish athlete Sarah Healy’s stumble and Sharlene’s disqualification as quite heart-wrenching, especially given how prestigious reaching the world final is. Nevertheless, she admired the impressive performance of the relay team and Sarah Lavin, concluding that the championship was fairly decent.
Adeleke shared her thoughts during the announcement of her new collaboration with KMPG, joining Irish golfer Leona Maguire and top Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore as their sports representatives.
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