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Irish Nigerian superstar Rhasidat Adeleke came close to another epic gold at the European Athletic Championships but settled for silver with a personal best.
Irish-Nigerian sprint sensation Rhasidat Adeleke had to settle for silver at the European Athletics Championships in Rome, but not before producing a blistering personal best time of 49.07 seconds in the 400m final.
The 21-year-old was pipped to gold by just 0.09 seconds as Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek unleashed a sensational championship record of 48.98 to take the title.
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Rhasidat Adeleke shines at European Championships
Kaczmarek's time was also a new Polish national record, breaking Irina Szewinska's mark which had stood since 1976 per the World Athletic Report. It was the fastest by a European woman in the event since 1996.
Adeleke looked poised for victory as she charged hard around the bend to pull level with the leading Kaczmarek. But the experienced Polish runner found an extra gear over the final 50m to edge home first.
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Despite the agonising nearness of gold, there was still plenty for Adeleke to be proud of. Her impressive 49.07 time shaved 0.15 seconds off her previous personal best set earlier this year.
The two times recorded by Adeleke and Kaczmarek were the fastest by any European athlete this century over the one-lap distance.
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"This is my first 400m event of the year and a PB...I'm really excited for the rest of the year," Adeleke said afterwards, putting a positive spin on her initial disappointment according to a video on Twitter.
With a silver medal and a big personal best time under her belt, the young Irish star looks to be rounding into frightening form just a year out from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Adeleke served notice in Rome that she'll likely be a major contender when she returns to the French capital in 12 months in pursuit of global 400m glory.
While narrowly missing out on European gold, this was still a breakthrough performance for one of athletics' hottest prospects on the big stage.
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