RTÉ’s Dave Kelly and Clare MacNamara were having a potter around Paris in advance of Rhasidat Adeleke’s 400m final, and at just about every turn they bumped into one of her former teachers, coaches or pals, a fair chunk of the people who ever featured in her life heading for the Stade de France.
“I’m lost for words because it’s so amazing, it’s so unbelievable,” said Cecil Johnston, a coach at Tallaght Athletic Club who has known Adeleke since she was a nipper. But he politely hinted at the need for us to get a grip of ourselves and our medal-winning expectations.
“She’s 21 years of age! She has many, MANY years ahead of her.”
We got another timely nudge in the direction of reality when Clare met Adeleke’s Ma, Adewumi Ademola.
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Clare: “How are you?”
Adewumi: “I’m fine. I’m trying to cope.”
Clare: “Will you be able to watch it?”
Adewumi: “I will try.”
It’s all very well feeling chuffed for parents when their children reach Olympic finals, but then they have to sit there and watch them in the biggest moment in their young lives, and pray that their hearts won’t be left in smithereens.
Which is kind of how the state of Adeleke’s heart appeared to be when she spoke to David Gillick after that fourth-place finish. She needed a hug and for Cecil to remind her, “YOU’RE ONLY 21!”
But Darragh Maloney had left us all a-tingle with his introduction to the evening’s fare, upping the hope that our interminable medal drought would end. Not since Tuesday had we seen one draped around an Irish neck.
“Over the last 24 years, since Sonia O’Sullivan won silver for Ireland in Sydney, only two Irish athletes have made individual Olympic finals on the track, Thomas Barr in Rio and Alistair Cragg in 2004. And 20 years on, an Irish athlete will contest an Olympic sprint final for the very first time. Going for glory and her place in the pantheon of Irish sporting greats, from Tallaght, Dublin, Rhasidat Adeleke.”
And then an Adeleke montage, lest we weren’t already sponsored by Kleenex, the weeping escalating on realising that she was still 23 months away from being born when Sonia did her silvery Sydney thing.
Meanwhile, Marty Morrissey had been told he was on Adeleke duty, but after donning a beret and wrapping a string of onions around his neck, he found himself in Tallaght chatting to more of her supporters and folk who had sent her on her way.
Back in the studio, the panel was sounding a note of caution, and that’s not because they’re all from Cork and Adeleke is a Dub.
“She belongs here, and she knows she belongs here,” said Sonia, “but there are seven other girls in the race who believe they belong there as well.”
And like Sonia, Derval O’Rourke and Rob Heffernan were nervously hopeful of a medal, but feared that if she went for gold she’d finish outside the top three. If she aimed for bronze, she’d take it.
Over at the stadium, Gillick set it up beautifully, as he usually does, heart said medal, head said . . . she’s only 21.
Athlete introduction time. Out came Adeleke, the place awash with roars and tricolours. She blew us a kiss. Admit it, you blew one back.
Twenty-one-ish years dreaming of this, 49-ish seconds to make your mark.
“She’s like a gazelle,” Rob had said pre-race, and that’s how she looked in those early stages, a bronze within her touch at the death, but the wily Natalia Kaczmarek pipping her. First, Marileidy Paulino. Second, Salwa Eid Naser, well rested after serving a two-year ban for missing drug tests.
“It’s absolutely not remotely a bad performance,” said Greg Allen, pointing to the pedigree of the three who finished in front of Adeleke, and the fact that the Olympic record had been broken by Paulino.
“Roll on LA 28.”
But, as Derval put it, “four years is a long time away”, especially when you’re 21 and it seems like a fifth-ish of a lifetime.
“She can’t not but be disappointed, but she ran the best she could on the night, the others were just better,” said Sonia.
Rob brought the emotion to the panel.
“We’re going to be down because we all wanted her to win a medal, and we’re all so invested in her . . . but she was brilliant. Look lads, she’s a superstar. She’s worth her weight in gold, she’s incredible”.
“When she sums up these last three years . . . what she’s achieved, what she’s done for Irish sport, what she’s done for women in Irish sport, all of the kids who love her and admire her, she’s an incredible, incredible human, she’s done brilliant. I’m delighted she’s disappointed, she’s distraught, and she should be – but it’s going to make her stronger again.”
That strength could well show in Saturday’s 4x400m relay final but, if not, we’ll see plenty of it again. We could have a decade yet of watching her grow. And that is a very thrilling prospect.
