Rhasidat Adeleke has officially withdrawn from Friday night’s Monaco Diamond League meeting, where she was due to contest the women’s 400m.
The Irish sprint star, who has struggled to find top form this season, was a late omission from the eight-lane line-up confirmed on Thursday morning.
Adeleke, 22, memorably claimed victory in this event at Stade Louis II last year, clocking an impressive 49.17 seconds, just shy of her Irish record of 49.07 set earlier in the same summer. However, her performances so far in the 2025 Diamond League campaign have not lived up to that standard.
The reason for Adeleke’s withdrawal has not been officially disclosed according to Irish Times. At last weekend’s Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, she appeared off her usual pace, finishing fourth in a sluggish 51.33 seconds, her slowest time of the season.
Observers noted some tapping on her knee post-race, raising concerns about a possible injury issue, though no confirmation has been provided.
Earlier Diamond League outings in Oslo and Stockholm also saw Adeleke struggling to break the 50-second barrier. She finished fourth in Oslo with 50.42 and faded to sixth in Stockholm, clocking 50.48. The dip in form is unexpected, especially as Adeleke had spoken earlier this year about adjusting her season’s timing strategy in preparation for a long and demanding calendar.
The Monaco race will go ahead with a world-class line-up, including Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who has already posted a season-best 48.81, and Poland’s Olympic bronze medallist Natalia Kaczmarek-Bukowiecka. Both are expected to headline a competitive contest in Adeleke’s absence.
Looking ahead, the women’s 400m won’t feature at next weekend’s London Diamond League, meaning Adeleke’s next likely major outing would be at the Irish National Championships in Santry on August 2–3, where she could opt for the 100m, an event she won last year in an Irish record of 11.13 seconds.
With just two months remaining until the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Adeleke will be keen to rediscover her best form. The Silesia Diamond League meeting on August 16 may offer a key opportunity to do so.
Elsewhere, several Irish Olympians will be in action closer to home this Friday at the Morton International Games in Santry. Sharlene Mawdsley will contest a strong women’s 400m, while Andrew Coscoran and Cathal Doyle headline the Morton Mile. Jack Raftery, fresh off a 44.98 run, and Israel Olatunde, chasing his Irish 100m record of 10.12, are also among the evening’s highlights.