Amazing Asher-Smith eyes up her third title of Championships

TWO gold medals, two world-leading times and countless possibilities that will now go way beyond a Berlin hat-trick. Indeed, a treble may have been the aim when Dina Asher-Smith arrived for these European Championships, but her realistic goals ought to go far further afield.

Anything less would be to play down the flame-heeled brilliance of what she has shown this week, starting with her 10.85sec gold medal in the 100metres on Tuesday and continuing with what was an even better performance last night.

Quite simply, she was incredible, covering the 200m in 21.89sec to defend the title she won in 2016. On one level, that meant obliterating her own British record, just as she did in the shorter distance, but what also of crushing a double world champion in Dafne Schippers for the second time in four days? And what of the world list, of which she is now top for two marquee distances? Extraordinary.

Schippers was beaten by the first bend. She ran a season’s best 22.14sec and was still second. Jamile Samuel of Holland was third, and Brits Bianca Williams and Beth Dobbin came in sixth and seventh. Of course, the team-mate who finished a street ahead isn’t done yet. Tonight she contests the 4x100m relay. Asher-Smith, who sliced a huge 0.18sec off her personal best, said: ‘I have obliterated my own expectations. I told myself loosely this year that I wanted to run in the 10.8s in the 100 and I had a joke with my physio that if I ran a 10.85 I would buy myself a cute necklace I have been eyeing up!’