Rhasidat Adeleke: I've lost the fear of losing

Rhasidat Adeleke has said that her mentality has completely shifted in her three years experiencing the American collegiate system as she looks forward to what could be a special 2024.

The Tallaght sprinter is forgoing her final year of eligibility with the University of Texas, but she leaves the college scene with a host of records to her name, including running the eighth-fastest 400m time in NCAA history, and she said that her changing perspective has been equally valuable.

"Definitely my mentality," she told RTÉ Sport when asked what had been the biggest change. "I'm better at dealing with adversity, especially when it comes to the competitive side of track and field,"

"Just knowing that I’m able to bounce back and one performance doesn’t define me. I’m always able to prove myself, [I’ll have] another opportunity to prove myself and I’m definitely looking forward... instead of maybe dwelling on a poor performance.

"Also being able to understand that I deserve to be here and I’m just as good as everyone else.

"The race can be won by anyone, once you make the final it’s anyone’s race.

"I think being out here I’ve learned a lot, especially being in the NCAA and competing against such talented girls; that kind of prepares you for that and kind of changes your mindset towards being yourself in a different light and making sure that you’re in a good space mentally as well as physically."

Elaborating further, Adeleke, one of Ireland's main medal hopes for the forthcoming Paris Olympics, said that getting over the fear of losing has led to more rewarding accomplishments.

"I feel like before I went to the States I was maybe like a big fish in a small pond, people used to say that.

"Coming out here I became a small fish in a big pond