Rhasidat Adeleke did the right thing by taking the opportunity to go pro a year out from the Olympics in Paris, says David Gillick.
Unsurprisingly, the two-time European indoor gold medallist and one-time Worlds indoor bronze medallist has Adeleke as Irish athletics' breakthrough star of the year.
21-year-old Adeleke became the first Irish sprinter to win NCAA gold in America's elite collegiate competition and then finished fourth at the World championships in Budapest in August.
READ MORE: Rhasidat Adeleke falls agonisingly short in Worlds sprint medal glory bid
"Yeah, look it's been a great year for Irish athletics, the last two years in fact have been really strong at European level and then coming onto the World level," said Gillick.
"You have to look at Rhasidat Adeleke - to win a NCAA 400m outdoor title is fantastic, and then to bring that to very late season and to almost maintain that peak or even peak again is very hard to do.
"To come fourth in a global championships is fantastic - that's the kind of athlete that is on the upward trend.
"Obviously Ciaran Mageean is there, who has been so consistent over the last couple of years as well.
"But, to bring it to that level, to go up through the various ranks in terms of sport from junior to under-23 to senior in any sport is very, very difficult to do - it throws a lot of labels and pressure on the next this or the next that.
"Rhasidat managed all that and to do what she did after a really, really long collegiate season in the States and having made the decision to go pro, all of that weight heavily on her I'd imagine during the summer, and then to come out and perform as she did in Budapest was fantastic.
"You can call it a breakthrough year, essentially."
Gillick was pleased that Adeleke, who had a year of her studies still to complete at the University of Texas, made the leap into the pro ranks in July - almost exactly 12 months out from what will be her debut Olympics in Paris.
"She'd start racing probably from January, arguably, doing a bit of indoors and then run it through it all the way through until June and the NCAA championships," he said.
"As a collegiate and scholarship athlete, that's the priority. That's where all your training gears towards. If you're doing that and then go into a Worlds or Olympics, it's very, very hard to maintain that level of performance.
"Realistically if she's looking at targeting an Olympic 400m final or even a little bit more, into the podium places, you have to be selective and focused on what's the ultimate goal here - and of course it's the Olympic Games.
"It's a good decision for her. She's kept her focus, she's kept her environment and there are a few other pro athletes like Dina Asher-Smith in her group who are focused on Paris next summer.
"In sport, you have a very short shelf life and you never know what's around the corner, so to grasp it now and go for it is the right attitude and that's what she's doing.
"Hopefully it will stand to her. "
*The Federation of Irish Sport has announced the launch of the 2023 Volunteers in Sports Awards to recognise the unsung heroes who breathe life into sports in every corner of the country. Supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships these dedicated volunteers are the backbone of sporting communities, and it's time to celebrate their unwavering commitment.
Nominations for the awards are now open, and you can submit your entries at the dedicated awards website, www.volunteersinsport.ie. Under the banner of #DedicatedToTheDedicated, these awards are more than just a ceremony; they are a celebration of the remarkable individuals who pour their hearts into sports in every county across Ireland.
The 2023 awards will culminate in a spectacular in-person awards ceremony, scheduled to take place on Thursday 29th February 2024.
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