Sport

Rhasidat Adeleke wins Irish Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards

Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke has been named Irish Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards.

The Tallaght native broke several Irish records, including the 60m, 200m, and 300m indoors, as well as the 100m and 400m outdoors.

Adeleke also played a pivotal role in helping the Irish team secure bronze medals in the mixed 4x400m at the World Relays. She won silver in both the 400m and the women’s 4x400m at the Europeans in June, along with gold in the mixed 4x400m.

Her crowning moment nearly came at the Paris Olympics, where she put in a valiant effort to finish fourth in the individual 400m final. She also teamed up with Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, and Sharlene Mawdsley in the 4x400m relay, where they finished fourth, setting a new Irish record of 3:19.90, just 0.18 seconds away from a medal.

Adeleke was also awarded the Sprint & Hurdles Athlete of the Year.

Speaking at the awards, Elaine Robinson, Managing Director of 123.ie, said: “As a proud sponsor of Athletics Ireland, we at 123.ie are thrilled to share a mutual passion for this sport and to be part of driving the future of Irish athletics. Our partnership with Athletics Ireland reflects our unwavering commitment to empowering athletes at every level.

Athlete of the Year: Rhasidat Adeleke🌟

Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) takes the overall Athlete of the Year Award on the back of another record-breaking season🙌

Proudly supported by https://t.co/8kNu8qkSSg 🤝#NationalAthleticsAwards pic.twitter.com/94vE1avlWX

— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) November 20, 2024

This is our second full year partnering with Athletics Ireland, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together. We thank the team at Athletics Ireland and the wider volunteer base for the tremendous work they put in to promote and grow athletics across Ireland. We look forward to the upcoming championships over the coming weeks and to what promises to be another exciting year in 2025.”

In other awards news, European 1500m champion Ciara Mageean received the Middle Distance Athlete of the Year award.

Paris Olympians Fionnuala McCormack and Nicola Tuthill were honoured as endurance athlete of the year and field athlete of the year, respectively.

Gillian O’Sullivan, the 2003 World Championship silver medallist in the 20km race walk, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Hamish Adams, CEO of Athletics Ireland, added: “The 123.ie National Athletics Awards allow us to celebrate the great performances of our athletes and organisation over the course of the last year, while also offering Athletics Ireland the opportunity to thank and acknowledge our coaches, officials, and clubs for their enormous contribution to the success of our sport.

We have enjoyed a stellar year in 2024, including a record 70,000 registered members, and we look forward to building on this year’s successes heading into a busy 2025 and beyond.”

123.ie National Athletics Award Winners 2024