Neita insists she is new sprint queen

ATHLETICS Daryll Neita insists she can be Britain’s sprint queen after winning the 200m title in Manchester.

The 25-year-old added the 200m crown to her 100m gold for the first women’s sprint double at the British Championships since 2010.

Neita ran 22.34 seconds to finish ahead of Beth Dobbin and Imani Lansiquot at the Regional Athletics Stadium and believes she deserves recognition having beaten Dina AsherSmith in the 100m on Saturday.

“There are two of us now and I have worked very hard for this, we all do. I’ve always been here, I’m here now and here to stay,” she said.

“We’ve been racing since we were seven-years-old. She’s done her thing and now it’s my time to do my thing

“We’re great friends. I know you want rivalry. You can just put ‘Daryll is the

British champion’ and you don’t need to see anyone else’s name in the title.

“I put my ambition as high as can be because I believe in affirmation and if you don’t believe it you won’t achieve it. If you believe in the highest then that’s what I’m reaching for. I don’t think any less.”

Despite reaching the World Championships in Eugene next month in the 100m she does not have the qualifying time, missing out by 100th of a second, for the 200m and will not double up next month.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran a championship record of 20.05 seconds to win the 200m and book his spot at the World Championships.

“I’ve been away for a long time and haven’t run this fast since 2018. It’s been a turbulent couple of years hampered by injuries,” he said.