Irish sprint star Rhasidat Adeleke rubbed shoulders with global music icon Rihanna this week at a glamorous event in London. The nine-time Grammy winner was in town to launch her new beauty product line at the prestigious Selfridges store on Oxford Street.
Adeleke, 22, was among the exclusive guestlist for the event and shared a series of striking photos from the evening, which quickly garnered praise from fans and fellow athletes alike.
Her Instagram posts were met with admiration, with one fan commenting, “Actual supermodel,” and another writing, “Such a natural beauty! You got it from your mama.” Irish relay teammate Sharlene Mawdsley echoed the praise, stating, “Yep, she slayed.”
The sentiment was shared by Cork camogie star Ashling Thompson and Virgin Media presenter Katja Mia, who also complimented Adeleke’s stunning look.
Adeleke has been training with her team at the University of Texas following her dual fourth-place finishes at the Tokyo Olympics. Most recently, she competed at the Diamond League in Belgium, where she secured a third-place finish with a time of 50.96 seconds.
Although initially placed fourth, Adeleke moved up after competitor Salwa Eid Naser was disqualified for a lane infringement. The race was won by Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino, who finished in 49.45 seconds, with the USA’s Alexis Holmes taking second place.
Meanwhile, Sharlene Mawdsley, 26, has celebrated the end of her track season with a holiday in Greece. Mawdsley capped off her season with a victory in Switzerland, clocking 51.35 seconds to defeat Austria’s Susanne Gogl-Walli and the Netherlands’ Lieke Klaver.
Despite her win, Mawdsley still reflects on the disappointment of narrowly missing a relay bronze at the World Championships in Paris, where the Irish women’s relay team finished fourth. In a recent podcast interview, she shared the emotional experience, recounting when she broke down on the track after realizing the team missed out on a medal.
“At that time, I thought that’s my fault that we came from second to fourth,” she shared but added that reflecting on the race and realizing all four team members had equal responsibility helped ease the disappointment.
As both athletes take some time off after gruelling seasons, the future remains bright for Ireland’s rising stars in track and field.
