Dina Asher-Smith’s brilliance fails to hide low British medal haul
Despite a week in which Dina AsherSmith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson hit the very highest notes, the British team have left these world championships in Doha with their worst medal tally since 2005.
Five medals – two below the target of seven to nine set by UK Sport – has further turned up the pressure on the British Athletics performance director, Neil Black, 10 months before the Tokyo Olympics.
The fact that the organisation is also fighting on a second front after the US Anti-Doping Agency banned Alberto Salazar, a former coach to Mo Farah and consultant to British Athletics, for doping offences, will increase the unease. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Farah or Black.
“There’s a lot to feel really, really good about,” insisted Black. “There’s a lot to feel really, really positive about. But the reality is the medal tally is not that which we would have wanted and expected. It could be better, it should be better.
“We’ll obviously be talking with UK Sport. It’s about reviewing, planning, what have we learned, what are we going to do about it, how do we convert the nearlies into medals.”
At least Asher-Smith left Doha on a bounding high having accumulated a haul of gold in the 200m, sandwiched by silvers in the 100m and 4x100m. Next stop for the 23-year-old will be a holiday, before she starts preparing for Tokyo 2020 and returns to spreading the gospel of sport in schools.
She already has an answer to the question she expects to receive more than any other. “When kids say they want to be like me I’m like: ‘No you don’t, you want to be better than me,’” she says. “It’s true. It’s a compliment but don’t aim to do what I do, aim to do better.”
Four of the British team’s five medals at these Championships were won by women, the most one-sided split since 2007. And Ashleigh Nelson, who took home a 4x100m relay silver medal, believes that the success of the British women in Doha must create a sustainable legacy.
“Women’s sport is motivating young women but the drop-out rate is very high,” she warned. “When I left high school the girls who still did PE there was only about five of us; that’s just not good enough.
“I hope we can motivate young women come through to take part. Just imagine in 10-20 years there’s no one doing it and this legacy will go to waste.”
Asher-Smith agreed, saying: “From what I’ve seen it’s getting better but with Olympics, women’s World Cup, Serena Williams, in the past few years we’ve definitely seen an trend in women wanting to play sport.”
There was not much room for optimism on the final night as Britain failed to win a medal. However it took some time to be sure in the women’s 4x400m. Amid farcical scenes, the team of Zoey Clark, Jodie Williams, Emily Diamond, Laviai Nielsen initially finished fourth – only to be bumped up to bronze after the Jamaicans were disqualified for lining up in the wrong place. Two more appeals followed. Before finally, with the IAAF officials clearing out their timing equipment, Jamaica got the nod.
Elsewhere Jake Wightman was the best of the three British men in the 1500m, running a personal best of 3:31.87 to finish fifth behind Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot, who bombed away to take gold.
In the long jump, which was won
by Germany’s Malaika Mihambo with a leap of 7.30m, Britain’s Abigail Irozuru came seventh with 6.64m with Shara Proctor 11th on 6.43m.
Meanwhile, Asher-Smith has confirmed that she is likely to skip the world indoor championships in Nanjing in March to give her more time to recover from her exploits in Doha. “Tokyo is next July and this championships is late so it makes the turnaround quite condensed,” she said. “It cuts into our off season which no one is happy about. I doubt I’ll be running indoor but you never know.”
In the meantime she intends to paint her living room purple. Given her regal behaviour in Doha, it would be a suitable colour. “I have my flat,” she said. “I have been there for a bit. I have done no decorations. That would be a good idea to get on with.”
And while Seb Coe might believe that she is one of the 10 most marketable athletes in the world, Asher-Smith has promised that success would not go to her head.
“I want to keep running fast, having fun, be me,” she said. “Go as fast as I can. Keep being me on track. Whether that means eye liner, lipsticks, scrunchies, smiling, being clumsy, having to do kisses and twirls when we walk out. I will keep being me. If that means great things happen then it does, it doesn’t then hey-ho. I have always been about running fast.”