With 2023 drawing to a close, Irish running sensation Rhasidat Adeleke has finally allowed herself the time to reflect on her performances on the track over the last 12 months.
To give the Tallaght woman her dues, it probably takes a period of downtime around Christmas to take in the enormity of everything she has achieved.
At one point early in the year it seemed like the 21-year-old was breaking a national record every time she laced up the runners such was the frequency with which the 200m and 400m records tumbled, indoors initially, and later outdoors.
Her 200m indoor record in New Mexico was the fastest time by a European woman since 2003, followed by the first sub-50 second 400m by an Irish woman.
Another first for an Irish sprinter, male or female, was an NCAA title with Texas, before deciding to turn professional in July. In her first professional race, a 200m in Hungary, she finished second only to Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, the second fastest woman in history at that distance.
It was the 39th race of her exhaustingly long season.
48.76 national record 🤩@Marileidy_P is your 400m world champion 💪
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 23, 2023
#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/7RvMzY8EUu
"I’m definitely appreciative of how far I came this year, making that big jump from where I was to where I am now," she tells RTÉ Sport.
"I see some videos and pictures and it just gives me goosebumps. I really get to take it in now. When you are in season, you are always looking to the next thing and not focusing on what I have achieved. This downtime, I get to look back on and realise what I have achieved and gives me that motivation to keep going for next year.
"I was so upset that I didn’t get a medal (in Budapest) that I couldn’t really appreciate that I came fourth after such a long season. Looking back now, I realise it was still a good achievement even if I didn’t reach my expectations."
In the World final, Adeleke was duking it out with Sada Williams down the home stretch for third, but the Barbados woman finished strong to claim back-to-back bronze medals.
Encouragingly, her NCAA gold medal time of 49.20 would have been enough for silver.
Different races, different circumstances, but it all points the right way.
"I’m happy with how it is going now," she says. "I’m in a good place with my training. Everything is upward. I’m very excited to see how far I can take it and how far I go this season. I have been trying to work on all the little things I was lacking last year.
Adeleke has a bit of time at home for Christmas before returning to Austin for New Year’s to gear herself up for the 2024 season.
The race schedule hasn’t been rubber-stamped yet, but either way, early January will be all about hard training sessions. 'Murder Mondays’ will be very much part of that regime, as Adeleke is keen to build on a healthy body of work
"As long as I am making progress, trying to improve myself, that’s the only way I’ll be able to improve my performances. When I am able to do that, and attach it to my competition, that’s the best way forward."
And within that, mental preparation is playing an increasingly bigger role in propelling the sprinter to new heights. There were far more highs than lows in 2023, but Adeleke is acutely aware of the importance of keeping everything on an even keel.
"It’s about believing in myself more," she says. "Having a better attitude and being able to deal better with losses. Just in general to be able to enjoy the process more, honestly, it can feel overwhelming or stressful.
"You need to enjoy the whole journey."
The Olympic Games is just over seven months away and if Adeleke continues her rich vein of form, Bob Tisdall’s status (gold in 400m hurdles in 1932 Games) as the only Irish athlete to win a medal of any colour in any outdoor global sprint event could come under threat.
Even allowing for her undoubted talent, things would have to fall her way given the calibre of 400m runners, but all she can do is put the best foot forward. Which is easier to focus on that the Games themselves.
"I don’t think about it that much I guess because I’m very much focused on just improving each day," she says when asked how much she allows her mind to drift towards Paris next year.
"If I thought about it (Olympics) too much, I’d end up getting overwhelmed. I feel like when it is closer to the time, I will definitely think of it more."
