Need to be in top shape for Paris Olympics made Rhasidat Adeleke turn pro

This time last week, Rhasidat Adeleke had yet to compete as a professional athlete. In the intervening seven days she's taken in two events in the paid ranks and made it back to Dublin for the National Athletics Championships at Morton Stadium this weekend.

Adeleke's relentless rise culminated in an NCAA Championships gold in the 400m last month as she capped off her collegiate career in style, setting a new Irish record of 49.20 seconds in the process.

Not that breaking records is anything new to the 20-year-old, who has lowered seven national marks indoors and outdoors in an annus mirabilis for the University of Texas alumna.

With her star in the ascendancy, sponsors circling and Paris 2024 just over the horizon, Adeleke was convinced now was the time to take the plunge into the pros.

"The Olympics coming up was the main deciding factor," the Tallaght AC star told RTÉ Sport.

"I want to make sure I am the best prepared that I can be for the Olympic Games and I feel that being a professional athlete will allow me to do that.

"I can create my own competition schedule, my own training schedule and gear everything towards peaking for the Games."

The transition from amateur to professional was something Adeleke took in her stride last week, finishing second behind 200m world champion Shericka Jackson in 22.36 at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial meeting in Hungary.

"It was a good experience and it was definitely interesting to see the difference between how the professionals run the 400 and how the collegiates run it," Adeleke said matter-of-factly.

"It was a good indicator to see where I am in my training."

The main target this year is the World Championships in Budapest from 19-27 August, with Adeleke opting only to take in the 200m at the Nationals in Santry.

"I'm just going to run the 200 and not try to overload my body because I have been competing for

the last couple of days," she explained.

"I just want to make sure that I'm staying in shape for the World Championships, but I'm really excited to compete in front of a home crowd and it's probably been a year since I've competed in Nationals so I'm looking forward to just seeing everybody and being able to put on a show for the Irish crowd."

The spotlight may have followed her for some time, but there's a maturity about Adeleke that belies her years and if there is expectation on her shoulders or external distractions, they're not allowed to weigh heavily as they're greeted with a shrug.

"Performance always comes first," she insisted. "You won't have any of the extra things if you aren't performing because these are things that come up if you're running fast and winning medals at the top level.

"I definitely try to make that my priority and make sure that everything else comes second."

Adeleke is reluctant to cite specific targets for the Worlds and Beyond, knowing that where she is physically and mentally will dictate performance level, while there's still much to work on.

"I'll keep working hard and get better at the things I'm not good at," she said. "Stuff like being in the weight room.

"When it comes to training, I always give my all and my coach is really good and that is definitely something we can continue to improve on.

"But you can only make the workouts so hard. Things outside that – hydration, diet, mobility, sleep, things like that will take you to the next level."