Rhasidat Adeleke could not quite manage to win a medal this evening, but she did the country proud with her performance in the women's 400m final at the Olympics in Paris.
The Tallaght woman had already made history by even making this race, becoming the first Irishwoman to appear in an Olympic sprint final.
In the buildup to this evening, it was suggested that Adeleke would be in the mix for the podium. Her performance in the semi-final was not her best, but there was a feeling that she would show up for the decisive race.
Her display in the final was certainly much stronger, but unfortunately, it was not enough to finish on the podium. Adekele would be overtaken by European champion Natalia Kaczmarek on the home straight, finishing in fourth place.
It's fourth for 21-year-old Rhasidat Adeleke in the women's 400m final. Her first taste of this stage will surely not be her last #RTEsport #Paris2024 ☘️ pic.twitter.com/kfhhMVvp33
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 9, 2024
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Gillick Had Message For Distraught Rhasidat Adeleke After Final
This was an excellent performance from Rhasidat Adeleke, although she would not doubt have hoped to earn a medal on her Olympic debut. At 21-years old, she should only be reaching her peak for the games in LA in 2028.
Of course, that will be of little consolation to her right now.
Appearing on RTÉ after the race, Adeleke was visibly distraught with the final result of the race. That led to a few words of encouragement from the always brilliant David Gillick, who certainly helped in picking up her mood.
Gillick: Fourth place, I know you're not going to be happy, but can you sum up your feelings?
Adeleke: I don't know.
Gillick: It's a difficult moment, okay. There are so many people that are proud of your here in the stadium and at home. You're 21, it's your first Olympic Games, you've made a final. It's something very important for you and also something to be proud of.
Adeleke: Yeah, honestly I'm happy to be healthy. I gave it my all out there. Today wasn't meant to be, but I just hope there's so much more to come in the future.
Gillick: Of course there is. There's plenty more in you. You're one of the youngest in that field, you've came here and taken it all in your stride and put yourself in the final, that was the main thing... It was a very stacked final, there was a lot of talent in there. You would have had to run 48 seconds to make the final, so it was tough out there.
Adeleke: It absolutely was. I don't think it was beyond anything that I could do. I just feel like it wasn't meant to be today, so that's okay. I'll just move on. I'm so grateful to everyone for supporting me all this way, there so much support and I really appreciate it. Just moving on from here...
Gillick: From LA to Brisbane, the future is bright Rhasidat.
Top class stuff from David Gillick, who has been brilliant on RTÉ throughout the Olympics.
There is no doubt that Rhasidat Adeleke will put this disappointment behind her, with a fourth placed finish in the Olympics a remarkable achievement.
You get the sense that she will have even bigger and better things in her future. She will have the whole country behind her over the coming years.
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