Adeleke's final will be a very different race to what unfolded on Wednesday

Rhasidat Adeleke has already chalked a piece of history by being here: the first Irishwoman ever to make an Olympic sprint final.

FINAL BOUND: Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke after finishing second in the semi-final. Pic ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Forty-nine seconds of hell await. But if Rhasidat Adeleke can get each of them right, she will be transported straight to heaven. The piercing pain of the 400m would swiftly subside, replaced by an elation that has few equals.

It’s been 24 years since an athlete won a track medal for Ireland at the Olympic Games and only three athletes – Bob Tisdall, Ronnie Delany and Sonia O’Sullivan – have ever managed it. That speaks to its absurd difficulty. That speaks to its rarity. But the fact Adeleke, at just 21, has a genuine shot at that tonight speaks to what a special talent she truly is.