Rhasidat Adeleke clocks fastest ever Irish indoor 200m time

Rhasidat Adeleke has clocked the fastest ever Irish women’s indoor 200m while representing Texas University at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic at the Albuquerque Convention Centre in Albuquerque with a stunning 22.85.

It was the same ground where Nigeria’s Favour Ofili raced to a new 22.71 seconds African indoor record albeit Adeleke ran in the 200m women’s invitational .

The 19-year-old Adeleke, born in Dublin in 2002 to Nigerian parents Ade and Prince Adeleke replaces Phil Healy at the top of the all-time 200m list, eclipsing Healy’s 23.10 set in Athlone in February 2020.

Adeleke has enjoyed a superb start to the 2022 season, following on from clocking 36.87 for 300m indoors on 16 January, which was the fastest time ever by an Irishwoman over the distance indoors, and also the fastest-ever by a European teenager.

Her early seaosn form comes off the back of a stunning 2021, where she won the 100m-200m double at the European Athletics Under-20 Championships.

On Friday, Adeleke was awarded the 2021 Under-20 Athlete of the Year Award at the Irish Life Health National Athletics Awards.