Dina asher smith
The 22-year-old’s time of 21.89 not only smashed her own British record by 0.16 sec but it left the reigning world 200m champion, Dafne Schippers, trailing in her wake. Now the recent history graduate is close to creating her own legacy by becoming the first Briton to win a treble of golds at the same major championships.
To complete the set she just needs her 4x100m teammates to get the baton round on Sunday night without undue stress or trauma and a golden history will be hers.
“I have obliterated my own expectations,” Asher-Smith said after her 200m performance, understandably beaming from ear to ear. “I told myself loosely this year that I wanted to run a 10.8 for the 100m – I had a joke with my physio that if I ran a 10.85 I would buy myself a cute necklace that I have been eyeing up that is a bit expensive.
“The other day I was like: ‘Oh no I might have to buy it and it is expensive.’ Coming into the 200m I didn’t have a time in my head because I didn’t know how tired I would be and it is a bit cold. I just wanted to win.”
But she did so much more than that. She knew that being drawn on the outside of Schippers in lane five made her a target for the Dutchwoman. So she made sure that she started like an adrenalised greyhound, tearing away from her blocks to establish a 10-metre lead in the opening half of the race.
Schippers then finished like a train to take silver in 22.14 but Asher-Smith was long, long, long gone.
“If I am honest I am still in a haze,” added Asher-Smith. “I was just thinking: ‘Get out there, you are a double world champion inside you, run, maintain form,’ all those coaching tips. I knew I had to go like a bat out of hell because she is coming for me and there was no way she was going to let me win this. I had the fear of God inside me.