Rhasidat Adeleke smashes Irish indoor 200m record

The 20-year-old sprinter clocked 22.52 to take victory at the Dr MLK Jr Invitational in Albuquerque on Saturday.

BEST FOOT FORWARD: Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland. File picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Rhasidat Adeleke has made a sensational start to the year by running the fastest 200m time in history by an Irishwoman, the 20-year-old Tallaght sprinter clocking 22.52 to take victory at the Dr MLK Jr Invitational in Albuquerque, USA, on Saturday.

Adeleke’s time obliterated her Irish indoor 200m record of 22.85, set last year, and is also quicker than her Irish outdoor record of 22.59. It’s a time that was bettered by only three athletes in the world indoors last year, and it puts the Dubliner 25th on the world indoor all-time list.

Earlier in the day she clocked 7.20 in the 60m, just shy of her Irish record of 7.17, to finish second behind teammate Julien Alfred, who clocked an NCAA record of 7.02. Now in her third year at the University of Texas, Adeleke enjoyed a stunning year in 2022, smashing the Irish senior records at 60m, 200m, 300m and 400m and finishing ninth in the World Championships over 400m and fifth in the European final – all at the age of just 19.

Elsewhere, Eric Favors broke his own Irish indoor shot put record with a throw of 19.99m at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational in Iowa on Friday, the 26-year-old adding 15cm to the previous mark. At the same meeting Waterford’s Michael Power clocked a big PB of 7:50.12 for 3000m, moving him 10th on the Irish indoor all-time list, with his University of Tulsa teammate and fellow Irishman Cormac Dalton not far behind with 7:59.15.

In Jablonec, Czech Republic, Killarney’s Sarah Leahy finished a fine second over 60m in a big PB of 7.32, beaten by former world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, who clocked 7.09.