Sometimes it is hard to believe Rhasidat Adeleke is only 21. It feels like she is already an established star, a fixture in the Irish sporting consciousness.
Adeleke began her sporting journey at the age of 12 when she joined Tallaght Athletics Club in 2013. It was relatively late for a child starting out in athletics, but it was apparent from the beginning that she was exceptional.
Within two years she won a junior sprint double at the Irish schools championships. That summer, when still just 14, she won silver at the European Youth Olympics festival. Every year since has brought her closer to Olympic glory.
Tallaght Athletics Club is an impressive facility off the Greenhill Roads. The clubhouse is shared with the Westpark gym. The Tricolour bunting is out, as are pictures of Adeleke on the front of the building.
“There’s a lot of pressure on her,” said club coach Cecil Johnston, “but you see how she handled herself after the heats. She was more confident than I have seen her before.”
When she first joined the club, she tried everything – sprints, long jump, high jump and cross-country, trying to find the event that suited her best.
The man who noticed her first was Tallaght’s long-term coach Johnny Fox, who died aged 84 earlier this year. He identified her as a sprinter. “He worked with her for a couple of years before she went to the United States [University of Texas], then [national sprint coach] Daniel Kilgallon took over from Johnny prior to her departure,” Mr Johnston recalled.
Ireland’s top male sprinter, Israel Olatunde, is a member of the club, as is the hugely promising sprinter Sean Aigboboh (18), who has just been selected to represent Ireland at the under-20 World Championships.
“We are probably the most inclusive club in the country,” Mr Johnson said. “Having those athletes of African origin is fantastic. They and their families have integrated well into the community here in Tallaght. Rhasidat was born and raised here in Tallaght. The whole community is proud of her and her achievements.”
Jenny O’Connor and Deirdre Pitts run the athletics summer camp in Tallaght. There were two in July. They are now throwing open a third camp in August as a result of an upsurge in interest because of the Olympics and Ireland’s stellar performance at the European Championships in June, in which Adeleke won silver in the 400m and a gold in the 4x400m mixed relay.
“Everyone is talking about her in Tallaght,” said Ms O’Connor. “There will be many like her here. We have great facilities. She came down to our summer camp last year and gave a little talk to the kids and told them she was once 12 and this is where she started. They are all delighted to follow in her footsteps.”
Ms Pitts said the children in the summer camp were “star-struck. She was so graceful with them. The amount of kids that have come to us this year to say that they are coming to Rhasidat’s club. They are all very excited.”
Eva Casey (18), a long-distance runner at the club, believes her to be an exemplary role model in many ways.
“She portrays everything about what our country should be. She is proud of where she has come from and trains so hard and you can see it when she runs. The younger kids watching her will want to become an Olympian because they can see what it means to everybody.”
Tallaght AC is the central hub for athletic clubs throughout south Dublin, but all is not what it seems. The athletics track was laid in 2006 and had a lifetime of 10 years. Eight years on, it is showing signs of disintegrating.
The club applied for a sports capital grant last year for two-thirds of the estimated €300,000 needed to upgrade it, but hasn’t heard back from the Department of Sport. The floodlights too need upgrading.
On Wednesday morning the local credit union presented a cheque for €1,000 to the club. It is a small contribution to the amount that the club will need to fundraise to replace the track. “If only there was a JP McManus for athletics like there is for GAA,” said Mr Johnston.
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