Rhasidat Adeleke set a season-best time of 22.35 at the Diamond League in London, but it was only good enough for a fifth-place finish in a stacked women's 200m field.
Adeleke came up shy of her Irish 200m record at the London Diamond League this afternoon, clocking 22.35 to finish fifth in a loaded field.
Adeleke’s Irish record is the 22.34 she ran in Florida in April last year. Drawn in lane eight in London, she was running blind but mixed it well against the world’s best. Running into a gentle headwind of 0.9 metres per second, she came home fifth, with US Olympic favourite Gabby Thomas winning in a meeting record of 21.82 and Adeleke’s training partner Julien Alfred of St Lucia second in a national record of 21.86.
Rhasidat Adeleke drops down to 200m, runs 22.35 in lane eight. Just .01 off her Irish record.
Next stop Paris. pic.twitter.com/lSb57dwuHy— Ian O'Riordan (@ianoriordan) July 20, 2024
There won’t be much panic in the Olympic medal hopeful as she started the dress rehearsals by winning the Irish 100m title in another national record of 11.13 and then at the Monaco Diamond League. With a performance that was as beautifully composed as it was utterly dominant, Adeleke took the win in 49.17 seconds, the second-fastest time of her life, just short of her Irish record of 49.07 set last month when winning the European Championship silver medal in Rome.
Second place in Monaco went to her old Dutch rival Lieke Klaver, who improved her lifetime best to 49.64 seconds. Kendall Ellis from the US was back in third, clocking 50.39, having won their Olympic Trials last month.
Adeleke was first out of the blocks inside the Stade Louis II, starting in lane five, quickly opening up some daylight on Ellis in the lane inside her.
“It felt really good,” Adeleke said after the race in Monaco
“You know, it felt like a good, controlled run. Very smooth. I’m really happy how that went. I think I’m in the right spot for the rest of the season, so I’m looking forward to what I can do.
“I just need to make sure I stay focused and all eyes on the Olympics, so hopefully I’ll be there when it matters. Anything can happen in Paris as it is a championship. I just want to run fast, but the women’s 400m this season has been spectacular.”
The London Diamond League was Adeleke’s last race before the games kick off in the French capital next week.
