Who is Rhasidat Adeleke? Five things to know about the 400m Olympics star
Treacy Picture: Inpho/morgan Adeleke Rhasidat
In her first Olympics outing on August 5, 2024 Rhasidat coasted to victory in her heat, clocking a time of 50.09, even as she eased up in the last 50m. Those following Rhasidat’s progress wouldn’t have been surprised by her dominant display, she has been quietly getting on with business during the runup to the Olympics, aside from a thrilling turn during June’s European Championships where she won individual 400m silver, and a gold medal in the 4x400m mixed relay.
From Tallaght in Dublin, Rhasidat was born in 2002 to parents Ade and Prince Adeleke. Her mom, Ade, is often seen at events with Rhasidat, who is vocal about the important role her mother has played in her success. When Rhasidat was nominated for the RTÉ Young Sportsperson of the Year in 2021 her mom was with her on the night, and she is a constant presence at Rhasidat’s races. In an interview at the European Athletics Championships in June Rhasidat said of her mom: "To be able to be here doing what I do and what I love, putting this work in, I just feel so grateful to her because I definitely wouldn't be here without her."
In her early years Rhasidat was active in all manner of sports including Gaelic football, camogie, volleyball, badminton, and basketball. At 6 foot tall it’s little surprise that she excelled at basketball, but she ultimately decided to focus on athletics. By the age of 15 Rhasidat was making waves internationally when she won gold at the 200m European U18 Championships in Hungary.
In what was an eventful year for Rhasidat, she moved to the US to attend university there and progress her athletics career. She enrolled in the University of Texas in Austin taking a four-year economics degree. However, she later switched majors to Corporate Communications, and completed her degree in May 2024 seven months early. She did this by taking on extra classes, ensuring she graduated before the Olympics in Paris.
Rhasidat holds the Irish national records in the 100m, 200m and 400m outdoors events and the 60m, 200m and 400m indoors events. With her 400m Irish record of 49.07 seconds, she became the first Irish athlete to break the 50 second barrier for the 400m. She posted her record at the European Championships in June.
Rhasidat will run in the first semi-final of the women’s 400m in Paris on August 7 at 7.45pm.