Rhasidat Adeleke won gold at the NCAA Championships in Texas, breaking her own Irish 400m record in the process.
The 20-year-old became the first Irish sprinter to win a NCAA title after she registered a meet-record time of 49.20.
Adeleke broke the 50-second barrier for the first time in April when she finished second behind Britton Wilson, and the Dublin runner got the better of the American this time around when competing on her home track at the University of Texas.
TRACK. DEFENDED!
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) June 11, 2023
Rhasidat Adeleke made a statement with her time of 49.20 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wUATJt9cgm
The performance moves Adeleke into the top 20 on the World 400m all-time list, while she is the first Irish NCAA champion since Mary Cullen won 5000m gold for Providence College in 2006.
"[The race] was kind of a blur, I just went out trusting myself," said Adeleke.
"I'm not really sure what I went through the 200 [mark], I just put myself into position coming into the home stretch, and it was the kick at the end, which is something I've been doing well all season."
This was Adeleke’s seventh national record of 2023. In April she demolished the Irish 200m record with a time of 22.34.
