Adeleke stuns with indoor record, English shows medal ambition

Performance continues a remarkable start to the 2023 season for the Tallaght AC athlete

Rhasidat Adeleke at the 2002 European Championships in Munich, Germany. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

For a long time she’s been touted as special, but never had Rhasidat Adeleke proven it in such supreme, superlative fashion. At the University of New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Saturday, the 20-year-old Dubliner clocked the fastest 400m in history by an Irishwoman, winning in a remarkable 50.45 seconds.

That obliterated the Irish indoor 400m record of 51.58, which had stood to Karen Shinkins since 2022, and was even quicker than Adeleke’s national outdoor record of 50.53. It was the third quickest time in the history of the NCAA; the fastest time in the world this year; and it’s quicker than the winning times in all but three (out of 18) editions of the World Indoor Championships. It is the latest blazing performance in an astonishing start to the season for Adeleke, who last month smashed the Irish indoor 200m record with 22.52 in Albuquerque.

If there is one cautionary footnote to contextualise her feat, it’s that Albuquerque sits at over 1600m of altitude, which offers a notable benefit to sprinters – even indoors – due to the lower air resistance. However, many world-class operators have ventured to the same arena without producing such fireworks. Adeleke, a student at the University of Texas, is currently building up to the NCAA Indoor Championships at the same venue from March 10-11.

Meanwhile, Mark English showed his medal ambitions at next month’s European Indoor Championships in Istanbul are alive and well with an encouraging performance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. The Donegal athlete, a four-time European medallist, finished third in the men’s 800m in 1:46.53, the second quickest indoor time of his career, with world indoor champion Mariano Garcia of Spain winning in 1:45.26.

“I was very happy with that, happy I had enough gears over the last 400 metres,” said English, who moved through the field from the back over the latter half. “I think I can get stronger over the next few weeks; I know what I need to do now. I’m confident about my chances (in Istanbul).” 

Ciara Mageean endured a difficult start to her season in the women’s 3000m in Boston, stepping off the track two thirds of the way through the race. Mageean revealed she had just returned to training after missing several weeks during the winter due to a tear in her peroneal tendon.

“I knew coming in today it was going to be hit and miss,” she said. “I managed to pick up an injury over Christmas and it set me back. I’ve honestly got three training sessions in my legs and I knew it was going to be a big challenge but I wanted to put myself out there. The fitness is just not there. But there’s small victories: to toe the line and to be fine physically, if not a bit emotionally dented from that. I am not too disappointed. Last year I missed the indoor season due to a torn calf and I had the summer of my life.” 

There was better fortune in the same race for Roisin Flanagan, who clocked a PB of 8:53.50 to finish 10th, consolidating her position in fourth on the Irish indoor all-time list.

In the men’s 3000m, Brian Fay and Darragh McElhinney put in a bold showing for the Irish, coming home sixth and seventh respectively in 7:43.85 and 7:45.79, with Fay overtaking Eamonn Coghlan to move third on the Irish indoor all-time list. In the men’s mile, Andrew Coscoran finished fourth, equalling his PB with 3:53.64, while fellow Irishman Luke McCann came home sixth in 3:54.91. However, Coscoran wondered what might have been had he got himself to the front earlier in the race.

“I’m a bit disappointed with the race tactics,” he said. “I didn’t get out as hard as I wanted and once I got to the front I was tripped, but indoor racing is such a tactical game. I made a move with about 300 to go and I couldn’t get around (the leader); I used up all my gas to get there.” 

The leading performance at the event came in the women’s 500m where Dutch star Femke Bol obliterated the world best, clocking 1:05.63.