Adeleke seeking first head-to-head win against Paulino, Eid Naser and Kaczmarek in Silesia

Rhasidat Adeleke will have a lot of people watching events as they unfold at the Silesian Stadium in Silesia, Poland at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, one of just three remaining chances for the world’s top athletes to earn points as they bid to qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 13th-14th.

This is where she will be hoping to take a huge leap into the future and stand as one of the favourites for a podium appearance in the women’s 400m some 12 long months before the World Athletics Championships.

For her to take that huge leap, she will break the jinx of losing against the trio she lost a podium place to at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Yes, the 21-year-old Irish national record holder must cross the line first against reigning World and Olympic champion, Paulino Marileidy of the Dominican Republic who has won in all their four head-to-head clashes, including at the the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and Budapest as well as the Paris Olympics.

Adeleke must also record her first win in three head-to-head clashes against Nigeria-born Bahraini, Salwa Eid Naser who got the better of the Irish girl in their two meetings at the Olympics in Paris.

The Nigeria-born Adeleke is also up against home girl, Natalia Kaczmarek who holds a 5-0 head-to-head wins. The Pole denied the Irish a podium appearance in Paris at the Olympics by clinching the bronze medal and the opportunity to be crowned European 400m champion in Italy in June.

Adeleke will have to become the 16th woman in the history of the full lap race to break 49 seconds, just after the Pole to be counted a serious contender going forward.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will relaunch his bid to compete in his first Wanda Diamond League final when he files out for the Shot Put event Sunday afternoon.

The multiple African Games and African Championships gold medalist is currently occupying the sixth and final qualifying spot for the event and knows he needs to either finish sixth at the end of the event in Silesia to still remain in contention or do the unimaginable, that is finish ahead of Paris Olympic champion medalists, Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Rajindra Campbell who are all in Silesia.