Rhasidat Adeleke said she was disappointed to narrowly miss out on a medal in the 400m Olympic final, but will take the positives from her performance as she eyes Los Angeles 2028.
Adeleke, who finished in a time of 49.28, admitted she "gave her all" in the race but was pipped to the bronze medal by Poland’s Natalia Kazcmarek who beat her to gold in the European final in June.
"I was just standing there and couldn’t believe it, fourth again," Adeleke said.
Reflecting on the final she told RTÉ Sport’s David Gillick: "The race went by so quickly and I just don’t even know what happened but that was all I had today. Hopefully, moving forward, I’ll be able to get on that podium.
"I was just trying to stay in contention, I wasn’t trying to be fazed too much by where I was in the race. I just tried not to panic and be patient."
The Tallaght sprinter, who is relatively new to the 400m event, said that as she gains more experience she will "know how to get the perfect race", adding: "Just make sure that I’m executing my own race and not trying to follow anyone else but, you know, it is what it is. We’ll just have to go forward with this and build on it."
Getting on the podium would have required Adeleke to run a time under 49 seconds, something she has yet to achieve.
"I don’t think it was anything beyond what I can do. I just feel like it wasn’t meant to be today and that’s okay, I’ll move on," she said.
"This is life, this is sport. Things aren’t always going to go your way but it’s about how you bounce back. How you take this and make your future better."
Adeleke, with an eye on LA 2028, insisted she will take the positives from her performance.
"I just really wanted more today. I didn’t come here to participate, I didn’t come here to make the final, I came here to win a medal and it didn’t happen.
"But hopefully in the next couple of years I’ll be able to sharpen up and get experience to put myself on the podium."
Adeleke confirmed that the semi-final on Wednesday had taken its toll.
"After the semi-final, I was low, my blood-sugar levels were low, everything was low. I was very dizzy and I was shaking. The team got me back on track; the physios, making sure I was ready for today. I was then looking forward to today, ready to give it my best shot," said the 21-year-old, who confirmed she would race in Saturday's 4x400m relay final.
"Yeah, absolutely. I think. it's another opportunity to get out here and give it my all."
Adeleke also thanked the Irish crowd for their support throughout the Games, saying "it meant a lot" to her.
"I’m so grateful to absolutely everybody who showed up for me today, who has been showing up for me for the past couple of years, my whole team, my coach, my family - everybody - and I appreciate them so much."
