Dina gold rush sets pace for the future
of the Jamaicans and Americans, who regularly run those times. Her reply takes me by surprise in this world of superstar sporting personalities taking everything for granted.
“Thank you very much, that was a big compliment,” she says.
A compliment maybe, but a fact too. Three hundredths of a second – from her old personal best of 11.02 to this time – has taken Asher- Smith from class to world class.
And, most importantly, it is confi rmation of a legacy. How fi tting it should happen in this venue in front of a crowd of 50,000. As that opening ceremony
w a s taking place three years ago today Asher- Smith, then 16, was preparing for her role at the Games of being a box carrier who took away the athletes’ clothes after their race.
“The thing that got me was the crowd and the way they cheered,” said Asher- Smith. “That reminded me of being a box carrier.
“It was more than I could have asked for, to not only run the time but here at the Olympic Stadium in front of a home crowd with my family and friends in the audience. It was amazing.”
Since 2012, Asher- Smith has won the European junior 200m title and world 100m gold. And after running 11.02 in May to break Montell Douglas’s sevenyear- old British record of 11.05, she has now lowered it to this special level.
She is taking it in her stride, even though smashing 11 seconds is a major landmark.
“It is a psychological barrier, but at the same time you have to r e m e m b e r that it is just times, it is hundredths of a second, it is only a few hundredths between 11.02 and 10.99,” she says.
“If you do your races right, there is no psychological barrier.
“I don’t know if the Jamaicans and Americans are looking at me. I hope I can do it again, hopefully I can do it again soon and I have stuff to work on from each of these races. “Both had their good bits and bad bits in different places, which is a bit annoying. But hopefully I can improve and use the performances today and experience to take myself further.” Asher- Smith actually only had to look down the result list to see the impact she had made, with Americans in the fi ve places behind her.
Also signifi cant was the victory of Schippers, the heptathlete who opted for the sprints last summer to win European 100m and 200m gold before deciding these individual events are her target for next month’s World Championships in Beijing.
Schippers won in a national record of her own and she is only too aware of the importance of what she and Asher- Smith are doing.
“It is good that people from Europe can beat girls from America, it feels good,” said Schippers. “Dina has a very good start and it is nice for us both to break national records here.” Asher- Smith agreed. “I am so happy that a European athlete won – no offence to everybody else. But I am a bit biased,” said Asher- Smith, who is not 20 until December.
“For so long it has been America, Jamaica and fi nally Dafne, Netherlands, heptathlon, sprints and she won and showed that European girls can sprint.
“Dafne is an absolute role model, she is absolutely amazing to have from the same continent.”
Beijing beckons, where Jamaica’s Olympic champion Shelly- Ann Fraser- Pryce, will be defending her title. She has a personal best of 10.70, a split second in real terms, a major difference in sprinting.
But there is no panic for Asher- Smith, whose moment could come, at this rate of progress, at the 2017 World Championships on this same London track.
“I am not rushing.” she said. “But I want to go out each time and perform to the best of my ability. And whatever my ability is at that moment, then I will try to do it.”
‘ I want to go out and perform’