'I'm a bit sad but she did her best' - Rhasidat Adeleke's home club immensely proud of their first Olympian
The 21-year-old sprinter could be in contention for a medal on Saturday as she will be part of Ireland’s women’s 4x400m relay team.
It was heartbreak for Rhasidat Adeleke as she narrowly missed out on a medal coming fourth in the women’s 400m Olympic final on Friday night.
She pounded the finish line with a time of 49.28 seconds, just 0.30 seconds slower than the bronze medal winner- Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek. Speaking directly after the race, Rhasidat said she was disappointed to have come "fourth again".
Appearing crestfallen, she told RTÉ: “That was all I had today and hopefully, looking forward, I'll be able to get on that podium.
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"I just really wanted more today. I didn't come here to participate, I didn't come here to make a final, I came here to win a medal. Hopefully the next couple of years, I'll be able to get onto that podium. I would have liked to give them a medal. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
However, the 21-year-old sprinter could be in contention for a medal on Saturday as she will be part of Ireland’s women’s 4x400m relay team. Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Kelly McGrory and Sharlene Mawdsley were part of the semi-final team that nabbed Ireland a spot in the final.
Despite the heartache, Rhasidat’s home club Tallaght Athletics Club is immensely proud of their first Olympian- and the first Irish woman to make an Olympic sprint final.
There was barely any room to stand in the club on Friday evening as it was filled with supporters, friends and teammates cheering on their superstar sprinter.
Speaking after the race, Chairman of Tallaght Athletics Club Gerry Wallace said: “I’m a bit sad but she did her best, she was up against the world-class people so we think she did her best, the club is very proud of her.
“Still, fourth place in the world! She is only 21, in another four years she will be there again. I think she did very well!”
Rhasidat’s talent was spotted at 12 years-old when she first joined the Dublin club by coach Johnny Fox. He passed away in April of this year, but his son Anthony Fox said if he were here today he would’ve “jumped on a boat to Paris” to see her.
Speaking before the race, he said: “He knew how to spot talent when he seen it, and the minute he saw Rhasidat run he knew, he told me from day one until the day he passed that she was going to make it to an Olympic final, and low and behold here we are.
“It’s such an emotional day for me and my family and getting to bring my child here to see it. Please God she does it for my father! But a final is an immense achievement no matter what.”
Sarah Doyle, who ran with Rhasidat in her relay team in 2019 with Tallaght Athletics Club, was beaming with pride after the race, saying she couldn’t be more proud.
She added: “I had the feeling she was going to be fourth, just because the others are older than her and they have that bit more experience and that little bit more strength. It’s just her strength at the end.
“To have that at 21, to be fourth in an Olympic final. I don’t feel disappointed, I feel delighted for her. I feel disappointed for her in the expectation that was on her going in but you can’t help but feel happy for her. But, she will reflect from it and she will learn so much from it.”
Derek Quinn, who coached Rhasidat as a junior, said the club was always going to be “immensely proud” no matter the outcome of the race.
He added: “The atmosphere has generated so much, I’ve been with Tallaght Athletics for 25 years and we’ve never seen anything like this, this is another level for the club and for Tallaght itself.”
There's no doubt that Rashidat is the golden girl of the club. As over 100 supporters filled the club, posters and banners of the sprinter were hung around the room as Irish flags were raised.
The cheers could be heard from the club’s track grounds, and despite narrowly missing out on a medal the atmosphere was still palpable after the race.
A friend of the superstar sprinter Andrea Uchime, who also trained with her as a junior, said she never doubted Rashidat would make it this far.
She said: “I am happy for her. We know how hard she works, she was always ambitious, she has that mindset so it is expected for someone who has such ambition and discipline. A lot of the younger athletes are looking up to her, even me, I’m so grateful to have her as a friend."
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