Adeleke, the Modern Ireland Face, Aims for Olympic Glory

Rhasidat Adeleke aspires to make history by being the first Irish woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics in Paris. This accomplishment would serve as a fitting retaliation to those who perpetuate racism against her on the internet.

Adeleke, 21, who was born and reared in Ireland to Nigerian parents, is coming to Paris as the silver medallist in the European 400 meters, one of three medals she won in Rome in June, and fresh off an amazing victory at the Monaco Diamond League competition.

Her triumphs in the mixed 4x400m relay and the silver she earned in the 4×400 women’s relay at the European Championships, however, were overshadowed by a barrage of racist comments on social media that questioned her eligibility to represent Ireland.

According to a tweet, “Irish athletes have trained their entire lives only to see opportunities taken away from them by Africans.”

Adeleke was severely impacted by the abuse, according to those close to her.

Her Texas University coach, Edrick Floreal, stated, “I think that’s probably the most pain I’ve seen her have.”

“When she saw those things on the Internet, she was truly in a bad place.

She never cries, so when she does, it’s like, “Oh my God.” I didn’t realize how much that hurt her, so I let her handle it.

Simon Harris, the prime minister of Ireland, praised her for being an encouragement to “young girls and boys” in response to the assault.

“You embody Ireland.”

Harris declared, “Rhasidat Adeleke is not just a world-class champion—she is a world-class person.” “Please don’t let cowards on the internet bring you down; you are class.

“Ireland is so proud of you because you are Ireland.”

Ade, Adeleke’s mother, told her daughter to “look forward to the positivity, not the negativity” and denounced the assault, saying, “she is just a little girl.”

With her fourth-fastest time of the season (49.07 seconds) in Monaco, there are definitely reasons to be optimistic as she heads to the Olympics.

But if Adeleke hadn’t had her mother, she might not be able to pursue her dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal and surpassing Sonia O’Sullivan’s silver medal in the 5,000 meters, which she won in the 2000 Sydney Games and is still Ireland’s only female Olympic athlete.

Rhasidat’s former head teacher Aine Mulderrig told Buzz.ie in June that Rhasidat’s mother, Ade, was determined that her daughter receive the finest education possible and that homework and sports should go hand in hand.

“From her home in the Dublin suburb of Tallaght, it was an easy bus ride; however, due to a strict schedule, Ade had to pick her up every evening after the fourth year.”

“Mom was really determined that she would receive an education, so she had to complete her homework and training.”

Adeleke took the tests in 2020 amid the Covid epidemic, but she proved she had paid equal attention to her studies and training when she was awarded a scholarship to Texas.

She had visited the school with her mother, as usual, but unlike a plethora of problematic relationships between overbearing parents and gifted athletes, this one appeared indestructible.

“My mother has attended each and every meet since I was a child. After winning European silver, Adeleke said to Irish network RTE, “She always put me first.”

“At work, she would rotate shifts. She would pay for everything and take me everywhere.

“I just feel so grateful to her for allowing me to be here, doing what I love, because I definitely wouldn’t be here without her.”

Olympic gold is the best gift Adeleke could give her mother, who she thinks she owes—her sister Latifah is also a gifted athlete.

In Rome, she declared, “I wanted gold.”

“Hopefully, I’ll get my gold going forward.”