Its silver medal for Rhasidat Adeleke at NCAA Championships as Johnson pinpoints areas of improvement
The 20-year-old Dubliner ran 50.45, which was 0.12 slower than the Irish record that she set last month at the Big 12 Championships.
Nigeria-born Irish sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke won silver for the University of Texas in the 400m at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque on Saturday.
The final was split into two sections with Adeleke being at a disadvantage running in the first race.
The 20-year-old Dubliner ran 50.45, which was 0.12 slower than the Irish record that she set last month at the Big 12 Championships.
Gold was claimed by the University of Arkansas' Britton Wilson who ran an incredible 49.48 to win the second race. It is the second fastest 400m time ever indoors, and a new NCAA record.
Only Femke Bol's world indoor record of 49.26 is quicker.
The race had been billed as a battle between Adeleke and Talitha Diggs, the University of Florida athlete, who broke the NCAA record last month at the SEC Championships shortly after Adeleke had done the same halfway across the US in Texas. Diggs claimed bronze on Saturday, running 50.49.
Adeleke, who only began racing the 400m last year, said earlier this month that she is still testing her "limits" in the 400m.
"Most people who have been running the event for years, they know what their pace is, they can strategise and say ‘OK, if I go out this fast, I’ll able to finish up this fast because this is usually how fast I finish'," she said.
"I’m still not familiar with what my limits are so I might go out a little bit slow, I might go out a bit slower than I actually can and that’s definitely something I’m working on, to be able to understand my body and understand how fast I can go without tensing up too much.
"I definitely do think I have a long way to go. I can see it with the training, I just started the training in October and it’s definitely been hard but I feel like I’m getting better, I’m getting stronger.
Meanwhile, legend Michael Johnson has praised Adeleke performance.
Johnson shared a video of Adeleke's semi-final run on Twitter and commented on the one aspect of her sprinting technique that she could improve to jump to another level.
Johnson would know a thing or two about mid-distance sprinting. As a four-time Olympic gold medallist across the 200m, 400m, 4x400m, Johnson stands among the true greats of the sport.
He appears impressed by one of the brightest prospects in Irish athletics, with Rhasidat Adeleke catching the eye of the US sprinting legend.
in Friday's semi-final - and Johnson thinks she has potential to go even faster if she can make one crucial improvement to her technique.
Speaking on his Twitter page, Johnson said:
"Look out when she learns to use those arms. She's carrying them instead using them to drive the legs. The difference is significant over 400. Helps increase speed and reduce fatigue."
Considering that Adeleke has already lowered two Irish national records in 2023 (200m and indoor 400m), any potential improvements to her sprinting technique could see her fulfil the immense promise she has shown since the beginning of her college career.
Still only 20, Adeleke has so much more to give in her sprinting career, and the likes of Michael Johnson will continue to take notice if she continues to post such impressive times.
