Rhasidat Adeleke opened up about becoming a full-time professional athlete after graduating college.
She graduated early in May of this year after earning a degree in Corporate Communications from the University of Texas at Austin.
She took extra classes in order to be done before the Olympics Games which took place in July 2024 in Paris.
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Rhasidat explained that the change from full-time student to full-time athlete will be very different, however, she is ready to make the most of her time.
She told RSVP Magazine: “It’s going to be different. I think it’s important to know how to utilise my time and not get too comfortable sitting at home not doing anything. I will need to be productive and use that free time to become a better athlete and maximise my performance.
“It’s going to be really fun to find productive hobbies, but also use the free time that I have to get to bed early and to have more time to cook my own meals. There’s so many things that I’m going to be able to do without having school. I’m really excited for it.”
As Ireland’s fastest woman, the title comes with a lot of expectations - but the Olympian isn’t letting it get to her.
“I don’t usually let the pressure get to me,” she said. “At the end of the day, those are achievements that I always wanted to achieve. It’s just about wanting to be present on the day, being able to give my best performance and not letting all the external factors get to me.
“I’m usually pretty good at doing that. The Olympics is a huge thing and so many people watch it inside the stadium and outside of it. Being at the Paris Olympics was a great experience to understand how it all works and to feel that type of moment - it was such an incredible time.
“It took it all in and it felt amazing knowing that so many people were supporting me and so many people were looking up to me and all the achievements I had made this year, from being Ireland’s fastest woman to national records. It all came together in that moment. I was happy to just be there.”
Rhasidat is a huge role model for children, not only in Ireland but also around the world.
She shared who she looked up to as a young athlete: “I definitely looked up to Katie Taylor a lot. I think she was the golden girl when I was growing up.
“I didn’t really watch sports or athletics that much. I didn’t know a lot of the athletes that I would know now, but I definitely knew Katie Taylor.
“I knew she had won at the 2012 Olympics and that was a huge moment. She was a household name, so everyone knew who she was. I definitely looked up to her as she was competing on that level and was so dominant at what she did.”
Irish athletics has made incredible strides in recent years, but what is behind it?
Rhasidat said: “It’s due to athletes reflecting on each other. It’s about everybody coming up together and when someone does well, you’re going to have a domino effect where it just translates to everybody, with them upping their game.
“There’s also a lot of people in different groups and in different countries getting the competition they need in training. They’re able to have those specific needs met to be able to get to the next level. It’s really important to be able to go somewhere where you can maximise your performance based on your environment and your surroundings. I think that’s what a lot of athletes are doing these days.”
English (US) ·