Rhasidat Adeleke is fast becoming an icon for modern Ireland

"Adeleke is a triple threat: she is the reigning U20 European champion at both 100m and 200m, and has stretched herself to become a 400m specialist as well."

Rhasidat Adeleke prepares to compete in the European Championships Munich 2022. Picture: Simon Hofmann/Getty Images for European Athletics

It’s been fascinating to watch the rise of Dublin sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke, because you know her achievements to date, while phenomenal, are just prologue to what she will accomplish in the fullness of her career. She’s still just 20 (born in this millennium, I regret to inform you!) and has been in particular record-smashing form of late, with three collegiate wins in rapid succession also earning her three new national records.

In mid-February, in South Carolina, she broke the national outdoor record for 200m in a time of 22.68. A week beforehand, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she ran the quickest indoor 400m by an Irishwoman, in a time of 50.45.