The 42
IRELAND’S RHASIDAT ADELEKE has won 200m silver at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
The 23-year-old clocked a national record of 22.28 seconds at Alexander Stadium to join Mark English as a European medallist on a memorable night for Ireland.
The medal rush continues!
“Rhasidat Adeleke is back”
The Irish athlete – hot on the heels of Mark English’s gold – has won the silver medal in the women’s 200m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/yhFRZJKLwN
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 13, 2026
100m champion Amy Hunt of Great Britain doubled up with 200m gold in 22.19, while her compatriot Dina Asher-Smith took bronze in 22.29.
“I feel blessed to come away with a medal,” Adeleke told RTE’s David Gillick.
My initial thought was, ‘Oh I didn’t win,’ I had to bring it back to who I want to be. I don’t want to be that person anymore.
“I want to find gratitude in everything. As soon as that sank in – I broke the national record! From where I’ve come from this season, even last season, I have nothing else to do but be grateful, honestly.”
Adeleke won her semi-final in a season’s best 22.43, as the second-fastest qualifier behind Hunt. The Dubliner qualified for these championships with her final chance after an injury-ravaged period, having dropped from 400m to 200m.
“I’m better. Who would have thought?” Adeleke continued.
“It was kind of nice coming in as the underdog, and then I ran how I did yesterday and it’s now, ‘Oh, Rhasidat had gone away.’ I was trying to block that out. This means so much to me.”
Rhasidat Adeleke celebrating with family. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
She continued: “Just knowing the journey. I know I don’t show everything that I do and everything I go through, but I think even showing snippets now is really helpful because it almost alleviates that stress a bit.
“People are asking, ‘What’s going on? Why aren’t you running? this and that?’ I’m just internalising everything, and it’s so heavy to carry. And now I just want to be free, I want to be happy, I wan to enjoy this sport. It’s given me so much, I want to give it so much.
“It’s unreal. Honestly guys, if you guys knew, this journey was… There were just so many times I was like, ‘Am I cooked?’”
On the race, which Adeleke ran in lane six with Hunt and Asher-Smith outside her, the Tallaght native added:
“I don’t think I got as good as I start as I did in the heats. I was actually talking to myself racing. I said, ‘Relax,’ because I wanted to run fluid, and when I tense up that does nothing for me. I was trying to get myself some cues, and I think that helped a little bit.
“I think I just need some more repetition this year, so then I can nail down the exact race plan that I need to run faster.”
Written by Emma Duffy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.