In her professional debut, Rhasidat Adeleke finished second in the 200m at a Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hungary on Tuesday evening.
The 20-year-old Tallaght sprinter was only beaten by 200m world champion Shericka Jackson. Adeleke finished in 22.36, just 0.02 outside her personal best, what is also the Irish record, which she set in April. The Jamaican Jackson, the second fastest woman ever over the distance, won in 22.02.
Adeleke's time also qualifies her for the 200m at next year's European Championships in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris. Prior to this season, the 200m would have been Adeleke's preferred event. However, she has excelled at 400m since finishing fifth in the European Championships final last year.
Rhasidat Adeleke pro debut
In her first race as a professional athlete, Rhasidat Adeleke finishes second to Shericka Jackson (22.02) over 200m and clocks 22.36 (1.0) 🇮🇪
✅ Her second fastest 200m run
✅ Inside the Olympic qualifying standard
✅ Just outside her Irish record pic.twitter.com/SarvNvV5bz— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 18, 2023
Adeleke announced over the weekend that, after three years of running for the University of Texas, she would be forgoing the remainder of her college eligibility to turn professional. She followed that on Monday with a further announcement that she has signed with Nike.
On Friday evening in Monaco, Adeleke will make her Diamond League debut when she runs in a stacked 400m.
The race will also feature 400m hurdles world and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who recently ran 48.74 to win the 400m at the US national championships. That time put her 10th on the all-time list while Adeleke's 49.20 personal best, which she ran in June, puts her at 21st on the list.
Rome 2024 Europeans Q - ✅
Paris 2024 Olympics Q - ✅An excellent 200m performance from @rhasidatadeleke 🙌🏻
The 20-year-old Dubliner returns to action over 400m at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday evening 🤩@TeamIreland https://t.co/mYML1xNZvz
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) July 18, 2023
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