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.
Another phenomenal run by @rhasidatadeleke to win her section of the #NCAATF and finish 2nd overall behind the 2nd fastest time in history @irishathletics 🥈 pic.twitter.com/7teBPVtfOW
— Pierce O'Callaghan (@Pierceathletics) March 11, 2023
HISTORY!!! 🏆@brittonwilsonn goes sub-50 in the 400m to set a new NCAA record with a time of 49.48!!!#NCAATF x @RazorbackTF pic.twitter.com/I8VN1oAY4F
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) March 11, 2023
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."
Rhasidat Adeleke takes silver in the 400m at the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque. Britton Wilson ran the second fastest time ever indoors, a new NCAA record, to win gold. pic.twitter.com/6oNegE5uf2
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) March 11, 2023
See Also: Amazing Adeleke Hasn't Even Tested Her Own 400m Limits Yet
