RHASIDAT ADELEKE UNDERLINED her rare talent by setting a new 400m Irish record in a world-leading time at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Saturday.  

Adeleke won in a time of 50.45, the fastest across 400m either indoors or outdoors by an Irish woman in history. Her time smashes an Irish record that has stood for 21 years, held by Karen Shinkins, who ran the 400m in 51.58 back in 2002.

It also improves on Adeleke’s previous record of 50.53, set outdoors in August last year.  In fact it is the fastest 400m indoor time set in the world this year. 

Across the last four years, only Olympic medalists Femke Bol and Shaunae Miller-Uibo have clocked faster times than Adeleke’s. Her 50.45 is also the third-fastest in NCAA history, behind Kendall Ellis (50.34) and Sydney McLaughlin (50.36), both of which were set in 2018. 

Only last month Adeleke broke her own Irish 200m indoor record with a world leading time of 22.52.