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Adeleke The Face Of Modern Ireland Eyes Olympic Glory

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Rashidat Adeleke (PHOTO BY RFI)

 

Rhasidat Adeleke hopes to become the first Irish female to win an Olympic athletics gold in Paris, an achievement that would provide a fitting riposte to racists who have targeted her for online abuse.

Born and raised in Ireland to Nigerian parents, Adeleke, 21, heads to Paris as the European 400 metres silver medallist — one of three medals she won in Rome in June — and an impressive win at the Monaco Diamond League meet.

 

However, the warm afterglow of her performances at the European Championships — gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and silver in the 4×400 women’s relay — was overshadowed by a wave of racist abuse on social media which questioned her right to represent Ireland.

 

“Irish athletes have trained all their lives just to see opportunities taken away from them by Africans,” said one post on Twitter.

Those close to Adeleke say the abuse affected her deeply.

“I think that’s probably the most pain I’ve seen her have,” Edrick Floreal, her coach at Texas University, revealed.

“She was really in a dark place when she read those things on the Internet.

 

 

“She doesn’t cry ever, so when she cries it’s like, ‘Oh my God’, so that bothered her more than I ever thought and I just let her handle it.”

The abuse prompted Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris into saluting her as an inspiration to “young girls and boys.”

– ‘You are Ireland’ –

“Rhasidat Adeleke is not only a world-class champion, she is a world-class person,” said Harris. “You are class, so please do not let online cowards bring you down.

“You are Ireland and Ireland could not be more proud of you.”

 

 

Adeleke’s mother, Ade, decried the abuse — “she is just a little girl” — while telling her daughter to “look forward to the positivity, not the negativity.”

Indeed there is much to be positive about heading to the Olympics, with her clocking the fourth fastest time of the season thus far of 49.07 seconds in Monaco.

 

Had it not been for her mother, though, Adeleke might not be in the position of dreaming of Olympic gold and bettering the 5,000m silver won by Sonia O’Sullivan at the 2000 Sydney Games, which remains Ireland’s only female Olympic athletics medal.

 

“Her mom, Ade, was very keen that Rhasidat would get the best and education and homework had to align with sport,” her former school head teacher Aine Mulderrig told Buzz.ie in June.

 

“There was a straightforward bus ride from her home in Tallaght (suburb of Dublin) but Ade picked her up every evening past fourth year because there was a tight schedule.

 

“She had training, she had her homework and that all had to be done because mom was extremely determined that she was getting her education.”

Adeleke showed she had taken as much care of her homework as her training as she won a scholarship to Texas despite taking the exams in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

 

As ever, she had been accompanied by her mother to have a look at the campus — but unlike a legion of tricky relationships between pushy parents and talented athletes — this one seems unbreakable.

 

“My mam comes to every single meet ever since I was growing up. She put me first all the time,” Adeleke told Irish broadcaster RTE after taking European silver.

 

“She would switch out shifts at work. She would take me everywhere, pay for everything.

“To be able to be here, doing what I love, I just feel so grateful to her because I definitely wouldn’t be here without her.”

 

Adeleke, whose sister Latifah is also a promising athlete, feels she owes her mum and there could be no better gift than Olympic gold.

“I wanted gold,” she said in Rome.

“Hopefully moving forward I get my gold.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP

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Real Madrid Gives Vinicius Deadline To Respond To Latest Deal Offer

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Real Madrid has increased their contract extension offer, but it still falls short of Vinicius’s initial demands, and they are urging him to respond as soon as possible.

 

According to AS, Real Madrid has raised its initial offer for Vinicius’s contract extension, but it remains far from meeting his demands. The ball is now in the Brazilian winger’s court. The two parties held talks on Wednesday, attended by Vinicius’s agent Frederico Pena and by José Ángel Sánchez and Juni Calafat from Real Madrid.

Neither side completely dominated the negotiations, but a compromise has emerged that could lead to an agreement if the player accepts. Sources say Real Madrid’s offer will not remain valid indefinitely, and the club wants a response as soon as possible. Vinicius’s contract expires on June 30, 2027, and the countdown to renewal has begun.

Arsenal is also monitoring this protracted renewal saga, with Arteta hoping to seize the opportunity to advance contact and even convince Vinicius that they could be teammates next season. However, to reach that point, the current deadlock between Vinicius and Real Madrid must first be resolved. Real Madrid originally had no intention of increasing the offer further, but still showed willingness to reach an agreement, hence the raise. The decision now rests with the winger.

AS previously reported that Vinicius had lowered his initial demand of close to €30 million per year to nearly €20 million net per season, plus performance bonuses. The contract details also include a significant element: a renewal bonus, similar to the signing bonus Mbappé received upon joining. Additionally, Vinicius wants to increase his share of image rights revenue, which is currently slightly over 50%, and hopes to continue raising it. SER radio reported that Real Madrid’s bottom line is €24 million net annually.

This figure is higher than the €20 million they were initially willing to offer, but still lower than the €30 million that appeared at the beginning of negotiations. The Brazilian player’s team stated that both parties also included multiple performance bonuses, which makes the player believe that the club and he are now aligned. Both sides are optimistic about this new contract, which would run until 2031. However, after demonstrating sincerity, Real Madrid also hopes to receive a reply soon.

While the future remains uncertain, Vinicius was accompanied by his most trusted advisor, Tata Soares, during training with the team at Valdebebas yesterday. Soares also attended the meeting. Meanwhile, Vinicius sent an intriguing signal on social media. The Brazilian star suddenly cleared his social media account, leaving his 639,000 followers and the entire football world momentarily puzzled. His profile picture, posts, and pinned content all disappeared. Coincidentally, this action occurred on the same day the situation shifted.

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Everton Sign Midfielder Norgaard From Arsenal

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Everton have signed midfielder Christian Norgaard from Arsenal on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

 

The 32-year-old Denmark international has reportedly joined the Toffees for £7m., external

Norgaard, who signed for Arsenal last year in a £15m deal from Brentford, was left out of the Gunners squad for a friendly against Real Betis on Wednesday.

He made 20 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions last season but just seven of those were in the Premier League, as the north London club won their first title in 22 years.

Everton have also signed central midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for £16.5m this summer, along with 20-year-old winger Tyrique George, who was signed from Chelsea for £18m having spent the second half of last season on loan at the Toffees.

Norgaard said he was “very intrigued” about the project after speaking to manager David Moyes, adding: “Coming here just makes that feeling even stronger.”

He added: “I think the club is moving in the right direction and last year was proof of that. I thought there were so many good players in the team and Everton was so difficult to play against.”

Norgaard previously spent six years at Brentford and became a key player for the Bees, captaining the side and making 196 appearances.

Moyes has been looking for experienced players to add to his squad following the departures of the Republic of Ireland defender Seamus Coleman, 37, and 36-year-old Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye.

Midfielder James Garner, 25, is also set to miss the start of the new season after the England international had groin surgery last month.

Everton start their Premier League season against Crystal Palace at home on Saturday, 22 August.

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Jubilant Fans Mob Salah At Airport Following Trabzonspor Move

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Turkish club Trabzonspor are set to confirm the signing of Mohamed Salah as the Egypt captain was mobbed by fans on his arrival in Turkey.

 

Hundreds of fans gathered outside Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Wednesday as Salah emerged wearing Trabzonspor colours before engaging with the excited crowd.

The 34-year-old forward left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years on Merseyside, scoring 257 goals.

A free agent, Salah, who has scored 50 Champions League goals, will play European football with Trabzonspor next season after they finished third, eight points behind champions Galatasaray.

If they fail to progress to the league phase of the Europa League via the play-offs, they will drop down to the Conference League.

Salah became Liverpool’s highest earner in their history when he signed a reported £400,000-a-week contract in April 2025.

Nicknamed the Black Sea Storm, Trabzonspor have won seven league titles, six of which came between 1976 and 1984.

In 2022, they claimed their most recent league success, ending a 38-year wait.

Based in the north-eastern city of Trabzon, they are one of only six teams to have won the Turkish Super Lig.

Salah’s signing will go down as the club’s biggest as he joins former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe in donning the claret and sky blue shirt.

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