'Just didn’t see a fit for us' - Rhasidat Adeleke reveals why Julien Alfred and coach Edrick Floreal snubbed Michael Johnson's GST League

With only five racers spots left, Irish sprint queen Rhasidat Adeleke has revealed why she, Julien Alfred, and coach Edrick Floreal's team won't be signing up for Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track scheduled for the 2025 season.

The Grand Slam Track is a new professional league set up by the legendary Michael Johnson with lucrative contracts and prize money, and already has many of the world's best such as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas on the roster.

However, despite the publicity and change the league is proposed to bring to the sport next season, coach Floreal asked Adeleke and his athletes to sit out, even though they were approached with an offer.

“Just didn’t see a fit for us,” said Adeleke in an interview with irishexaminer.com, adding her coach “had his reasons.”

Coach Floreal currently trains several top athletes such as Saint Lucia's Paris Olympics golden girl Julien Alfred, British sprint queen Dina Asher-Smith, and Adeleke, as well as being the head coach at the University of Texas.   

The 400m Irish sprint sensation was one of the standout athletes this season, having broken six national records as an individual and contributed to six more in relays, and left the European Championships in Rome with three medals: two silvers and one gold.

She finished fourth in last year’s world championships 400m final and at the Paris Olympics, then faced another fourth-place finish in the women’s 4x400m relay. 

With the upcoming year laden with potential medal opportunities, Adeleke revealed plans to bypass two of them and skip the European Indoors and World Indoors in March but will run “one or two” indoor races, both of them in the US, before moving on to the outdoor season.

“I learned a lot of things I'm going to be able to take into next season. I would rather learn things earlier on than make these mistakes when I'm supposed to be reaching my peak. I've taken a lot away and I'll be able to apply that next year.” 

At 22, Adeleke's success isn't limited to the track alone but off it as well, as she is an ambassador to top brands such as Rihanna's Fenty Hair and recently with KPMG Ireland.

Taking lots of lessons and being an influence on several Irish athletes at such a young age, hopefully, she can finally get an individual world medal in Tokyo next year.