Rhasidat Adeleke has received her silver medal for her stunning performance at the European Championships.
The Tallaght native clocked a personal best time of 49.07 in the Women’s 400m final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome last night and was just pipped to gold by Polish superstar Natalia Kaczmarek on the finish line.
An hour or so after the conclusion of the race, Adeleke took part in the medal ceremony and received her silver medal.
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The former University of Texas star has been the talk of the athletics World for the past two seasons and at just 21 years of age, many are tipping the Dubliner to dominate the sport in years to come.
With European gold already secured in the 4x400m mixed relay last week, Adeleke will return home alongside team Ireland with at least two medals in tow.
Speaking to RTE after the race last night, Adeleke’s competitive nature was on full display as she revealed that she was disappointed to only walk away with silver.
“Honestly, do you know what, I was devastated when I crossed the line but, to run a PB, I’m really excited and it was my first 400m competition of the year,” she said.
“I’ll be training very hard for the next few weeks and, hopefully, by the time of Paris, I’ll be where I need to be.
“I’m learning each tine I race. I came here without tapering. We have been training all along.
“There are so many things that could have gone wrong. I could have been injured and not made it to Rome. I could have missed out on the final.
“So I have to be happy with what I did. An Irish record and a silver medal.”
Adeleke was in a hot race and kept a close eye on her rivals from the start
“I just tried to stick with the pace and make sure I was always in contention,” she said.
“At 200m, there was a bigger gap than I liked and I made a move but maybe I moved too early.”
After the race, Adeleke went to her mother, Ade, in the stands, who was celebrating with the rest of the Irish fans.
“If you know my Mam, she goes to every meet. When I was growing up, she always put me first,” said the 21-year-old.
“I just feel so grateful to her, I wouldn’t be here without her.”
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