The Daily Star Ireland
At Sunday’s Diamond League meeting in Stockholm, Irish sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke finished sixth in a competitive 400-meter race. Starting from lane four, she remained in contention through the final bend but lost ground in the closing meters against a strong field of international athletes.
The race was won by American sprinter Isabella Whittaker, who recorded a winning time of 49.78 seconds. Norwegian runner Henriette Jaeger finished second in 50.07, followed by Great Britain’s Amber Anning, who achieved a season-best 50.17 to take third. Adeleke posted a time of 50.48, narrowly slower than her season debut of 50.42 recorded just days earlier in Oslo, where she placed fourth.
Adeleke, 22, is in the early stages of her outdoor season and is using these high-level competitions as preparation for the World Athletics Championships scheduled for September in Tokyo. These Diamond League appearances mark her return to the 400m following indoor performances earlier in the year and continue her campaign to refine race strategy and endurance heading into the championship phase of the season.
Sophie O’Sullivan Claims NCAA Title with Career-Best Performance
While Adeleke faced stiff international competition in Sweden, fellow Irish athlete Sophie O’Sullivan delivered a standout performance on the collegiate stage in the United States. Competing in the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, O’Sullivan secured gold in the women’s 1500 meters with a commanding victory.
O’Sullivan surged ahead in the final lap to cross the finish line in a personal best time of 4:07.94, decisively outpacing the rest of the field. The 23-year-old, representing the University of Washington in her final year of eligibility, became only the fifth Irish woman to claim an NCAA track title.
Her achievement places her alongside prominent names in Irish athletics history, including her mother Sonia O’Sullivan, who won the NCAA 3000m title in both 1990 and 1991. Others who have secured NCAA gold include Valerie McGovern (5000m, 1989 and 1990), Mary Cullen (5000m, 2006), and Rhasidat Adeleke herself, who previously won the 400m title in 2023 and contributed to 4x100m relay victories in 2022 and 2023.
As O’Sullivan concludes her collegiate career on a high note and Adeleke continues building toward global competition, both athletes remain central to Ireland’s growing presence in international athletics. Their performances reflect a promising trajectory for Irish track and field as the nation looks ahead to upcoming world events.
