Wrapping up her indoor season with another national record, Dublin sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke also become the first Irish sprint representative in a final at the American NCAA Championships, competing for Texas University at the indoor championships staged in Alabama over the weekend.
Still only 19, Adeleke took back the national indoor 60 metres record when clocking 7.17 seconds in her qualifying heat, with that eclipsing the mark of 7.19 set a fortnight before by Molly Scott when winning the Irish indoor title.
A double European Under-20 100m-200m champion, Adeleke went on to finish eighth in the final, clocking 7.26, matching it with the best college sprinters in the US, with two more years of collegiate eligibility.
Before this year, the Irish indoor record stood at 7.27; it’s been equalled or bettered eight times in the past six weeks, Scott setting five marks, before Adeleke ran 7.21, Scott then clocking her 7.19, which Adeleke bettered again. Scott has another chance to regain the mark when she competes at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade starting on Friday.
Brian Fay of Raheny Shamrock, representing Washington University, finished an excellent sixth in the 5,000m final, in 13:28.48, with Barry Keane of Waterford AC, running for Butler, just outside the top 10, finishing 11th in 13:35.01.
At home the All-Ireland Schools Cross-Country staged in Belfast saw Scott Fagan (Castleknock CC) win the senior boys' race ahead of Dean Casey, who did lead his school St Flannan's to the team title.
The senior girls' race saw Rebecca Rossiter (Down High School) come home ahead of Roise Roberts (Dominican College, Fortwilliam) and Emma McEvoy (Loreto, St Stephen's Green), Rossiter's performance would also lead home Down High School (Downpatrick) to team gold.
