Paris 2024: Rhasidat Adeleke targets Olympic glory amid racial abuse

Rising Star with High Hopes

Rhasidat Adeleke, a 21-year-old European 400 metres silver medallist, born and raised in Dublin, Ireland to Nigerian parents, is heading to the Paris 2024 Olympics with high hopes. Adeleke, who also won a gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and a silver in the 4x400m women’s relay in Rome, recently secured an impressive victory at the Monaco Diamond League meet.

Historic Ambitions

Adeleke, a World U20 Championships silver medallist, aims to become the first Irish female to win an Olympic athletics gold in Paris. Such an achievement would be a powerful response to the racists who have targeted her with online abuse.

Early Life and Background

Adeleke was born in Dublin in 2002 to parents Ade and Prince Adeleke, who were originally from Oyo State in western Nigeria. Ade has worked for the state postal company An Post. She attended St. Mark’s Primary School in Tallaght before moving on to Presentation Community College Terenure. She is a member of Tallaght Athletic Club.

European Athletics Championships

At the European Athletics Championships in Rome on June 7, Adeleke ran the second leg of the mixed 4 × 400 m relay, helping Ireland win a gold medal, ahead of Italy and the Netherlands. The warm afterglow of her performances at the European Championships was overshadowed by a wave of racist abuse on social media questioning her right to represent Ireland. “Irish athletes have trained all their lives just to see opportunities taken away from them by Africans,” read one post on Twitter. Those close to Adeleke say the abuse affected her deeply.

Overcoming Adversity

“I think that’s probably the most pain I’ve seen her have,” said Edrick Floreal, her coach at Texas University. “She was really in a dark place when she read those things on the Internet. She doesn’t cry ever, so when she cries it’s like, ‘Oh my God,’ so that bothered her more than I ever thought and I just let her handle it.”

The abuse prompted Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris to salute her as an inspiration to “young girls and boys.” Harris said, “Rhasidat Adeleke is not only a world-class champion, she is a world-class person. You are class, so please do not let online cowards bring you down. You are Ireland and Ireland could not be more proud of you.”

Adeleke’s mother, Ade, condemned the abuse, saying, “She is just a little girl,” while encouraging her daughter to “look forward to the positivity, not the negativity.” Indeed, there is much to be positive about heading to the Olympics, with Adeleke clocking the fourth fastest time of the season at 49.07 seconds in Monaco.

Family Support and Education

Despite the vile online abuse from some of her Irish compatriots, Adeleke’s devoted mother has urged her to stay positive. Had it not been for her mother, Adeleke might not be in the position of dreaming of Olympic gold and bettering the 5,000m silver won by Sonia O’Sullivan at the 2000 Sydney Games, which remains Ireland’s only female Olympic athletics medal.

“Her mom, Ade, was very keen that Rhasidat would get the best education and homework had to align with sport,” said Aine Mulderrig, her former school head teacher. “There was a straightforward bus ride from her home in Tallaght, but Ade picked her up every evening past fourth year because there was a tight schedule. She had training, she had her homework, and that all had to be done because mom was extremely determined that she was getting her education.”

Academic and Athletic Dedication

Adeleke demonstrated her dedication to both academics and athletics by earning a scholarship to Texas despite taking her exams during the Covid pandemic. Her mother accompanied her to check out the campus, illustrating their strong and supportive relationship.

“My mum comes to every single meet ever since I was growing up. She put me first all the time,” Adeleke told Irish broadcaster RTE after taking European silver. “She would switch out shifts at work. She would take me everywhere, pay for everything. To be able to be here, doing what I love, I just feel so grateful to her because I definitely wouldn’t be here without her.”

Breaking Records and Looking Ahead

At the 2024 National Track and Field Championships, Adeleke broke the 100 metres outdoor record, winning with a time of 11.13 seconds. At the Monaco Diamond League meet on July 12th, Adeleke won the 400m with her second fastest time ever, ahead of Lieke Klaver and Ellis Kendall.

Adeleke, whose sister Latifah is also a promising athlete, feels she owes her mum, and there could be no better gift than Olympic gold. “I wanted gold,” she said in Rome. “Hopefully moving forward I get my gold.”