DINA OUT OF THIS WORLD
Asher-Smith breaks British record for silver
NO rainbow in her hair, no slab of gold in her hand, but what a marvellous piece of silver and what a fitting piece of history.
Not that there were any significant doubts over Dina Asher-Smith, but this was confirmation of her standing.
The refrain to her three European gold medals last year was that the rest of the world, from Africa to the Americas, was sleeping. Here, she said they had nowhere to hide. Here, with one remarkable exception, she hunted them down.
The one that got away is special. That is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican winner of 100m gold at both the 2008 Olympics and London 2012. At 32, she is getting back up to speed after having a baby in 2017 and what speed she is reaching — she won this race in 10.71sec, a truly remarkable athlete with an astonishing technicolour wig.
She got her latest pot of gold, but, in Asher-Smith, she found her closest rival anywhere on the planet. It was Asher-Smith who beat her to the Diamond League crown earlier this month and it was the Brit who supplied the threat here.
Her time of 10.83sec was a personal best and improved her national record. She gets better and better, and with this one she became the first female from these isles to win a world or Olympic 100m medal since Dorothy Hyman’s Olympic silver in 1960.
‘I’ve worked so hard for this, this point in my career,’ the 23-year-old told the BBC, ‘and hopefully I’ll go on to do bigger things. When I stood on the line I was thinking: “Right, this is your time to go” and I was really, really happy I came away with a PB and national record.
‘I’m a championship performer, I’m a competitor, I would have loved to win today, anybody in that race would have loved to win, but ShellyAnn did an absolutely fantastic performance and that’s why she has so many titles and is an absolute legend.’
For a time, it looked like Asher-Smith might miss out. Fraser-Pryce was clear from the blocks and Asher-Smith, in lane seven, was in a great battle with Elaine Thompson, the reigning Olympic champion, and Marie-Josee Ta Lou, the world silver medallist. She beat both, finishing clear of Ta Lou, who was third in 10.90sec. A great race. The only shame is that it was in a near empty stadium in Doha. Yet this was very much a case of expectations being met. Indeed, Asher-Smith’s rounds here hinted she was on for something big. She will go again today, starting the countdown to her assault on the 200m. That was always going to be the distance with the best chance of a title. By most estimations, she will start as the joint favourite. There is an element of good fortune in that by virtue of the farce of the IAAF scheduling the 200m and 400m too close together, which has robbed the event of Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
As the Olympic 400m champion, the Bahamian has sided with the discipline she knows best and that is an enormous boost for a field who have watched her go unbeaten for two years.
In her absence, Thompson and Asher-Smith are the women to beat. They have each triumphed over the other this year but the Brit has a 2-1 lead. If that goes to 3-1 her profile will enter a new level altogether, even beyond the point it reached last night.
It was Britain’s 100th medal historically at a world championship. Another may follow in the men’s 200m tomorrow, with the British trio of Adam Gemili, Miguel Francis and Zharnel Hughes all into the semi-final. Gemili was quickest qualifier in the field in 20.06sec.
Irrespective of what follows from Britain’s leading lady, concern will already be spreading among UK Athletics about the number of fringe contenders falling short.
The British governing body have a stiff target of winning between seven and nine medals here. So far, their outside bets have failed to come off, with fourth-placed finishes last night for Holly Bradshaw in the pole vault and the 4 x 400 metres mixed relay team.
Once more Bradshaw could not scale the required height at a major championship. This latest setback had her on the brink of tears.
It was her best finish at either an Olympics or Worlds, but ultimately her 4.80m clearance was not enough. Anzhelika Sidorova, a Russian athlete competing as a neutral, took the gold.
‘It does hurt a little bit but I’m in a great place and happy with how things are going,’ said Bradshaw.
Shortly after that came the introduction of the wacky race — the mixed 4x400m. Rabah Yousif was seventh after the first leg, but going into the last lap following exchanges between Zoe Clarke and Emily Diamond, Britain were fourth.
After Martyn Rooney had a poor changeover with Diamond, he could not overhaul Bahrain in third.
Scot Clarke said: ‘It’s pretty devastating to miss a medal but we improved our time from the semi and it’s another European record. We’re still learning the event.’