Rhasidat Adeleke: 'I try to block out all the external noise and focus on myself'

Rhasidat Adeleke has come into this championship with a level of expectation and exposure not seen for an Irish athlete since Sonia O’Sullivan, 20-plus years ago.

ALL EYES ON ADELEKE: Rhasidat Adeleke's recent form has catapulted her into the limelight. Pic:  Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

There are many ways to chart the change in the life of Rhasidat Adeleke, but at the World Championships in Budapest yesterday, perhaps the best was to measure the time it took the 20-year-old to wind her way through the mixed zone.

After coasting to victory in her 400m heat in 50.80 seconds, the Tallaght sprinter made her way into the snaking maze under the stand to greet the world’s media. It was close to an hour before she got out the other side. She’d been to the World Championships last year, but this time was different. Now everyone wanted a piece of her.