RHASIDAT ADELEKE BROKE her own national 400m record at the NCAA Division 1 Prelims in Sacramento overnight, crossing the line in a scorching time of 49.54 to advance from the quarter-finals with ease. 

That takes 0.36 off her previous national record, which she had set in mid-April when she ran 49.90 at the Tom Jones Invitational in Florida. 

Hers is the third-fastest time in the world this year, and would have been good enough for silver at the previous edition of the World Championships and fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. It is also Adeleke’s sixth national record of 2023. 

It wasn’t the fastest time of the day, however, with Britton Wilson clocking 49.51. Wilson beat Adeleke to gold at the NCAA indoor championships earlier this year, and both will contend for gold at the outdoor NCAA championships in Austin next month. 

Elsewhere, Nick Grigg broke the Irish U20 5000m record at the popular IFAM meet in Oordegem in Belgium. Griggs clocked a time of 13.36.47, knocking nearly twenty seconds off the previous record of 13.54.10 held by Darragh McElhinney and which was set at the same meet in 2019.

Ciara Mageean regained the national senior 800m record that she had lost last year to  Louise Shanahan, finishing second in an exciting race at the British Milers Club meet in Manchester, clocking 1.59.27.

Written by Gavin Cooney and posted on the42.ie