Rhasidat Adeleke was named Young Sportsperson of the Year, after announcing herself on the world stage with a blistering run in the final of the women’s 400m at the European Championship in Munich, finishing fifth, and breaking her own new Irish record she set in May.
The 19-year-old Dubliner, who is also an OFI Paris Scholarship recipient, was up against it in Lane 1, she left nothing on the track and was in medal contention until the final 30 metres when she faded slightly back to fifth, two tenths of a second off a medal spot.
In her 49th race of the season, Adeleke crossed the whitewash in a time of 50.53, breaking the national record of 50.70 that she set back in May.
Dutch superstar and last year’s European indoor champion Femke Bol clocked a PB of 49.44 to take gold ahead of Polish duo Natalia Kaczmarek (49.94) and Anna Kielbasinska (50.29). Britain’s Victoria Ohuruogu was fourth, two hundreths of a second ahead of Adeleke.
Tallaght woman Adeleke had initially intended to bring an end to a long and fruitful 2022 campaign following a ninth-placed finish at the Worlds in Oregon last month, but cancelled a holiday to Mexico in order to extend her efforts as far as this week’s Europeans.
A relative newcomer to tonight’s event, Adeleke is already the fastest ever Irishwoman over 60, 200, 300 and 400 metres and was a double gold-medal winner over 100 and 200 at last year’s European U20s in Talinn.
Rhasidat Adeleke is also a double Gold medalist for Team Ireland at the Baku European Youth Olympics in 2019,
Other nominees were OFI scholar Eve McMahon (Sailing), Israel Olatunde (Athletics) and Lisa O’Rourke (Boxing).
