Dina agony as her best isn’t good enough
IT’s one of the cruel truths of sport that sometimes your best just isn’t enough. Dina Asher-smith found that out in agonising fashion at the World Championships yesterday, her British record of 10.83sec in the 100 metres final leaving her in that infuriating position of fourth.
‘i’m so gutted that it didn’t get me on the podium,’ she said. ‘i was so close.’
Jamaican sprint queen shellyAnn Fraser-Pryce powered to her seventh global 100m title, her time of 10.67sec the fastest of any of those — and all at the age of 35.
Asher-smith hit the line 0.02sec behind bronze medallist Elaine
Thompson-herah and the result was one that cut deep.
‘i’m annoyed, but i’m going to get some sleep, recover, have a chat with my coach, probably cry a bit,’ she said before looking ahead to the 200m, in which she is defending champion after her gold in Doha 2019. ‘When you’re in PB (personal best) shape, the world really is your oyster because you still don’t know what you’re capable of.’
it’s been a rough year for Ashersmith, who lost her grandmother recently and she admitted off-track issues had kept her from running her best for much of the summer.
‘You really have to be emotionally in the room,’ she said. ‘For lots of the season i couldn’t do that. i’ve been in shape from the beginning, but my brain has been elsewhere.
‘i’ve had some life things that i’ll probably talk about more after the 200m.’
At 26, Asher-smith should have many more medal opportunities and she looks to Fraser-Pryce as an example of getting faster as you get older.
‘Watching shelly-Ann gives me goals,’ she said. ‘People are like, ‘‘When are you going to retire?’’ and i’m like, ‘‘Who knows now?’’’
Asher- smith’s 200m best this season is 22.27sec, but she looks primed to challenge the British record of 21.88sec that she ran to win the 2019 world title.
Meanwhile, Britain has two strong medal chances in tomorrow morning’s 1500m final in Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman.
Kerr, the Olympic bronze medallist, coasted to victory in his semifinal, while Wightman looked well within himself when finishing third in his semi-final.
‘i’m here to put a show on, i just want to put a fantastic effort in,’ said Kerr. he added that the final here will be ‘the accumulation of 15 years of really hard work’ and that he plans to give it ‘every single thing’ he’s got.
‘You’re going to watch me hopefully play the best game of chess i’ve ever done in my life,’ he said.
Wightman has been in sparkling form this summer and he’s hoping to dispel the memory of last year’s Olympic final, in which he finished a disappointing 10th.
‘it’s a big opportunity to make amends,’ he said. ‘it’s as tough as it could be, but i feel like i’m running better than last year.
‘i’m 28 now, getting old, and i don’t get too many opportunities like this.’