STAR quality is an utterly intangible, indefinable notion – but when it’s there, smacking you right in the face, it is impossible to avoid.
Rhasidat Adeleke has it in spades; whatever ‘it’ is. When she is on the track, eyes are instantly drawn in the Tallaght woman’s direction. There is an electricity about the place that only a handful of athletes, and we’re talking on the world stage, can generate.
The Stade de France felt it’s full force on Monday afternoon as Adeleke made her Olympic debut, easing away from the chasing pack in 50.09 to seal her spot in Wednesday’s 400m semi-final.
The last 50 metres even afforded the opportunity to look around and soak up the moment while the handbrake was gently pulled up. Job done, for now.
But, after an unforgettable first week when Rhys McClenaghan, Daniel Wiffen and the rowing pair of Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy mined gold, a medal tally bolstered by the endeavours of Mona McSharry, Phil Doyle and Daire Lynch (both bronze), Kellie Harrington (silver, at least) and Wiffen’s 1500m bronze, so much expectation now rests on Adeleke’s shoulders.
Still so early in her international career, it seems almost unfair but, for generational athletes like the 21-year-old, it comes with the territory.
“That felt really calm and relaxed - I was really excited to get out there.
“I was really excited because the track is purple and my favourite colour is purple. I was just like, yeah, let’s go out there, it’s something new. It’s my first Olympics so it’s all a new experience and I’m taking it every step of the way.
“I’ve been here for a week so I was kind of itching to run but it felt amazing, felt really calm and I’m really excited for the next round.”
Watching from the wings last week proved a source of inspiration too.
“The Irish champions have been absolutely amazing - from the gold medals to the bronze medals, everyone who’s been literally turning us all up. I’m so excited to hopefully be able to add to that.
“It’s been an amazing environment seeing so many inspirational athletes from different sports. It’s my first time meeting a lot of them, getting to talk to some of them and I’m really excited to see what the rest of the team can do.”
The fact it was her Olympic debut added to Monday’s buzz, but there was never any danger of being lost in all that was going on around.
Adeleke knows what people expect of her. She knows where she sits in the reckoning for the 400 metres, and that she has the potential to do just about anything. Monday afternoon was only the start.
“Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend what it really is because I guess I’ve been building up to this for so long. And sometimes it’s expected as a given and the way I am, I’m not happy to participate, I want to achieve my goals.
“My goal wasn’t just to come to the Olympics, my goal was to do something special. And that’s what my goal will remain.”
There was a red herring thrown in too, just to mark the occasion, when Ecuador’s Nicole Caicedo was disqualified for a false start – with all the competitors facing a nervous few seconds before the race resumed.
“I was just like, I hope that wasn’t me. I was like, that wasn’t me, right? That wasn’t me, that wasn’t me.
“I just made sure that I regrouped, and just made sure that it didn’t affect me and just go out there and execute the exact same way I was going to execute the first time.”
Adeleke’s absence was keenly felt on the track last Friday night when the mixed relay team, gold medallists at the European Championships in June with the Dubliner in tandem, missed out on making an Olympic final.
It was disappointing to miss out, but she hopes it is something that can be revisited in years to come.
“There was potential that if I was talking to my coach, we could have done the final, but unfortunately that wasn’t what it was meant to be. And, you know, it’s okay
“I think in the next couple of years, we’ll be able to continue progressing as a race and we’ll be able to get to the standard that we know we can be at, because we’ve done so much this year.”
