Rhasidat Adeleke made a big impression in her first race as a professional athlete last night.

Irish track star Adeleke, 20, finished as runner-up to world champ Shericka Jackson in the 200m in a Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hungary.

The Tallaght sensation took the American collegiate scene by storm this year by winning the 400m crown in the NCAA Championships on home ground in Austin, where she has been competing for the University of Texas.

READ MORE: Rhasidat Adeleke signs deal with Nike after turning professional

In claiming victory, Adeleke became the first Irish sprint champion at that level.

She recently decided to turn pro and announced on the eve of the Gyulai Istvan Memorial that she had signed a deal with Nike.

Wearing the firm's colours last night, Adeleke ran from lane seven and finished in second place in 22.36 - securing Olympic qualification at the distance in a time that was two hundredths of a second outside her own Irish record. Jackson won the race in 22.02.

She is the fourth Irish track athlete to qualify for Paris 2024, with Sarah Lavin, Brian Fay and Andrew Coscoran all achieving that feat, but Adeleke is expected to focus on the 400m at the Games.

She was using the race as a warm-up for her Diamond League debut in Monaco on Friday, when she lines up in the 400m against some of the world's best at the distance, including the world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Adeleke will also return to Hungary in mid-August to compete in the World Championships in Budapest.