RHASIDAT Adeleke must wait another four years to try and realise her Olympic dreams after being edged into fourth place in Friday night’s 400m final in Paris.
The Tallaght sprinter finished in 49.28, her third fastest time ever, but was still pipped to bronze by Natalia Kazcmarek, the Polish powerhouse turning on the burners in the final 50 metres to snatch a podium place away.
Reigning world champion Marileidy Paulino took gold in an Olympic record time of 48.17, with Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser claiming silver.
Adeleke, roared on by a huge Irish crowd at Stade de France, was emotional in the immediate aftermath. How could she not be?
With a talent like hers, the 21-year-old did not come to the French capital to finish fourth. That it was her first Olympics, that she ran a good race in the final - one that sets her up nicely for Saturday night’s 4x400m relay final, having confirmed she will compete - is of no consolation right now.
“I’m definitely disappointed… I knew there was so much more there than what I did today. This is just part of the game, you know. You win some, you lose some.
“It’s all about showing up on the day and today just wasn’t my day…. I didn’t achieve my dreams today but in the future I just hope that there are more podiums up there and I’ll be able to perform at my best when it’s most important.
“It just wasn’t meant to be today. It’s my first Olympics. I’m grateful to be healthy and just going forward I want to be exactly where I want to be, and in the future that’s what I’m going to be working towards.
“I’m hungrier than ever.”
Storm clouds had surfaced earlier in the week when Adeleke required medical attention following a below-par performance in Wednesday’s semi-final. Did that have any bearing on her preparation for last night’s final?
“I was pretty low in everything - my blood sugar was low, everything was low and I felt very dizzy, I was shaking… I just never felt like that before or after a race and I was very worried.
“But everyone got me back on track, the doctors, the physios, and they made sure they prepared me well for today.”
And any lingering concerns were gradually replaced by a mood of quiet optimism as race time neared.
An hour before the 400m final, heavy rain fall onto the purple track; Adeleke could almost have believed she was back home in Dublin. Maybe this was a sign?
Heading towards the final straight she was well placed, but Kazcmarek has recent form for pipping Adeleke at the post, having just beaten the Irishwoman to gold at June’s European Championships in Rome.
“Honestly, the whole thing is kind of like a blur. Coming into the home straight I was somewhere in contention, but maybe I panicked a little bit, started to strain.
“My coach just said, ‘don’t let a plan get into your head, just execute, you’ll be able to judge it yourself’ and feel like it didn’t go exactly how I wanted it to, but I still gave my best effort today and that’s just how it was.
“It’s just a whole blur, I literally can’t even remember what happened but all I know is I didn’t get podium and that’s all I remember. I was just staring at the screen for a minute, ‘oh my God, no way I came fourth again’. I’m like, ‘can someone just give me the medal?’
“I think at the end of the day it comes down to more experience - there is so much more to come in the 400, so much more experience, many more races to learn form, before I can actually call my race the best.
“So I think going forward it’s just better race execution, and putting in a better race plan that fits me.”
As for rival Naser - previously banned for missing four anti-doping tests – taking silver, Adeleke kept her cards close to her chest.
“Each athlete to their own, all I know is I do my very best. I train hard, I work hard and I hope every other athlete does the same…”
By the time Los Angeles 2028 rolls around, Adeleke will be 25.
A lot can happen in four years - exciting new talents will emerge in that cycle, just as she did with Paris on the horizon. Becoming the first Irishwoman to qualify for an Olympic sprint final is something to be proud of; as is her run when there.
But so near and so far is the name of the game in the rarified air of elite sport.
“No, that’s not possible at the moment,” she said when asked if there were any positives to be taken from Paris 2024.
“Some people, I guess, come here to participate and just happen to be at the Olympics, their goal is to become an Olympian. I knew what I was capable of, I was definitely looking at a podium, I definitely wouldn’t be happy coming fourth and my coach knows I could’ve got on that podium.
“It just wasn’t meant to be today.”
