Members of Rhasidat Adeleke’s athletics club have praised the runner after she narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal in the women’s 400m final.
The 21-year-old Dubliner, who is Ireland’s first ever female Olympic sprint finalist, finished fourth in the race on Friday evening.
Members of Tallaght Athletics Club said she put in an inspirational performance at the Paris games.
“Rhasidat did a brilliant job,” David Callaghan told the PA news agency.
“She came through the heats really well, the first heat she blew them away, and then the semi final she did great to get through. Job was done at that point, so coming in today, anything was going to be good.
“A medal would have been a bonus, it would have been the cherry on the cake, but fourth is an unbelievable performance.”
He described the atmosphere in her club as members watched the race like “a World Cup final”.
“I’ve never experienced a buzz around the club like that.
“She’s really lifted the community and the country as a whole, I think it’s a great representation of what people can do and a great inspiration for the kids of what’s possible in sport – you can’t get any higher than the Olympics.”
Ally Knox, 12, and a long-distance runner at Tallaght Athletics Club, said it was “really fun and exciting” to watch Adeleke race in an Olympic final.
“I think she did great. She was really brilliant and she just inspires me a lot,” she said, adding that she is inspired to run and one day compete in the Olympics herself.
Addressing Adeleke, she added: “You’re just brilliant and go again in four years… She’ll probably win gold.”
Hazel Hoban, club secretary at Tallaght athletics club, said they were “buzzing with pride” after the race.
“Rhasidat is a champion to us regardless of what medal she came home with and at the end of the day, she finished fourth in the world at 21 years of age – and it all started here at Tallaght Athletics Club for her from a very young age.
“We are proud beyond belief. She’s such a great ambassador for kids, for athletics, and I’d say they’re going to be knocking down our door to follow in her footsteps.”
She said she just needs to “keep doing what she’s doing and enjoy it, she’s just phenomenal and there’s only great things ahead for her”.
