WATCH: Rihanna in 'disbelief' as she meets Irish athlete Rhasidat Adeleke after the Paris Olympics 

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Sep 19, 2024 05:29 GMT

Irish runner Rhasidat Adeleke got a sweet surprise from popstar Rihanna. A recent video of the two meeting each other has gone viral on social media.

In the video, the two can be seen having a 'fangirl' moment. They hugged each other as Rihanna remarked that she followed Adeleke.

Rhasidat Adeleke posted a couple of photos with Rihanna on her Instagram account, as she wrote,

"Fan girl moment meeting @badgalriri. Such an inspiration and forever breaking barriers in the industry. My younger self would've never thought that Rihanna would be following me and my journey!"

Rhasidat Adeleke holds several individual Irish records. In 2023, she became the first Irish woman to break the 50-second barrier in the women's 400m. Adeleke had recorded a personal best of 49.07 seconds at the European Championships held in Rome in 2024, winning a silver medal in the 400m finals.

Rhasidat Adeleke had recently participated in the Paris Olympics, as well as the Wanda Diamond League Finals 2024 held in Brussels. While the Irish runner missed out on a podium finish in the women's 400m, she finished third overall in the Diamond League finals, clocking 50.96 seconds.

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Rhasidat Adeleke at the Paris Olympics

Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland in action during women's 400m finals at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Rhasidat Adeleke entered the Paris Olympics as one of the dark horses in the women's 400m event. Her best individual performance was a fourth position in 400m at the Budapest World Championships held in 2023. Apart from that, the Irish runner had a bronze medal from the World Relays 2024 in the mixed 4x400m relay race to her credit.

Adeleke topped her heats with a timing of 50.09 seconds to qualify for the semifinals. She was the sixth-fastest runner overall in the heats. In the semifinals, the Irish sprinter improved her timing to 49.95 seconds, finishing second behind Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain to qualify for the finals.

The finals saw an intense competition between Olympic silver medalist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic and Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain. Rhasidat Adeleke was following them up, and in the final 100 meters, she gave it her all. For a moment, it almost looked like the Irish sprinter would land a historic podium finish on debut.

However, in the last 50 meters, Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland edged Adeleke out for the bronze medal, finishing third with a timing of 48.98 seconds. Rhasidat Adeleke finished fourth with a timing of 49.28 seconds. Salwa Eid Naser clocked a seasonal best of 48.53 seconds to win the silver medal, while Marileidy Paulino set a new Olympic record of 48.17 seconds to win the Olympic gold medal.