Rhasidat Adeleke is putting her pro ambitions on hold for now so she can live in the moment.
After breaking the Irish outdoor record while finishing fifth in the 4oom at the European Championships last August, Adeleke has hit the big time for the University of Texas in this year's indoor season.
The Tallaght flyer lowered her own Irish 200m record in January, then smashed the 21-year-old Irish 400m indoor record in early February (50.45).
READ MORE: Rhasidat Adeleke smashes 400m Irish record for second time this month
She then did it again in the Big 12 Championships just over a week ago with a 50.33 finish - the 14th fastest indoor time on record.
Previously, Adeleke had written down the "far-fetched dream" of running 50.80 this year but had to swiftly re-adjust her sights.
"When I opened up with 50.45 I was absolutely shook," she smiled. "I don't know if you've seen the video, I honestly couldn't believe it.
"I'm really, really excited to see what all the extra training I'm going to do will have me at for the outdoor season."
Her scintillating form has led to massive interest by corporate backers and rumours that Adeleke could be about to turn pro.
"Yeah, me and my coach have been talking about things like that," the 20-year-old said.
"I’m just trying to focus on now because even if I do go pro this year, I won't be going pro right now.
"I don’t want to get distracted and I feel it’s very often that elite athletes when they run fast times, they get distracted and all they start thinking about is making decisions based on becoming a professional athlete.
"I just want to stay in the moment. I have in the back of my mind, to have those discussions, and I’ll know where it’s going to be at in the next couple of months."
Adeleke insists she is still developing and improving in her own environment and her times bear that out.
She is thriving on the opportunity to work with her coach Edrick Floréal - and her fastest times ever confirm it.
Her ambition is to be a professional athlete and to improve still further with the supports that will bring, but for now she is happy where she is.
"I’m still new to the event, there’s a lot of improvements to be made," said Adeleke.
"I feel like becoming a professional athlete will just give me more resources and opportunities to display my talents on a major level, so I’ll be competing at Diamond Leagues etc.
"It will just give me the opportunity to improve all of the work that I’ve been doing."
Irish fans are watching her rapid progress with excitement and Adeleke has her sights set on the Worlds in Budapest in August and the Olympics in Paris that will follow in the summer of 2024.
For now she is focused on events Stateside, as the NCAA season continues, but she would also like to compete in the European under-23s if the timing is right.
The hype is building around one of Ireland's top athletes, but she isn't fazed.
“I definitely always appreciate all the noise," Adeleke said. "It definitely motivates me seeing how much joy I bring sometimes to people I don’t even know.
"But since I’m not physically in Ireland and most of the commotion is on social media, I'm able to just turn my phone off, reset and get ready for my next competition.
“If I go to the track, I’m able to just focus on my training instead of people coming up and congratulating me, even though they have good intentions.
"Sometimes it can result in you kind of getting distracted so it kind of helps being out here sometimes.”
One downside is being away from her mother, who Adeleke explains changed her work times to bring her training and who travels to her international events.
"That’s definitely someone who inspired me because I want to be able to kind of repay her for all that, show her that I’m going to work hard to make all the sacrifices you do worthwhile," Adeleke said.
Allianz are proud global and local partners of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement and continue to build on their strong support of Ireland’s future athletes, inspiring them to write their own future with the support of Allianz to underwrite it.
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