More woe for Asher-Smith as she needs a wildcard
DINA ASHER-SMITH will need a wildcard to make next month’s World Athletics Championships after missing out at the British trials in Birmingham yesterday.
Asher-Smith is the British record holder at both 100m and 200m and was a bronze medallist as part of the 4x100m relay team at the Rio Olympics last summer.
But her season has been disrupted since breaking her foot in a training accident back in February, putting her participation in London in doubt.
This was her first appearance on the track since then, and she made it to the final but could only finish sixth in a time of 11.53 seconds behind winner Asha Philip.
Asher-Smith had only managed a few weeks of training, and the former World Junior Champion now has until July 23 to find the qualifying standard in either of the sprint events to prove her form and fitness.
The World Championships next month are the swansong for Olympic great Usain Bolt, so the chance to race against the Jamaican was a great incentive in the men’s 100 metres.
CJ Ujah had set the pace with an impressive 9.98 in winning his semi-final. But when he withdrew from the final as a precaution, Reece Prescod emerged to take the national title.
Having attended the Olympic Stadium as a fan, the 21-year-old can’t wait to step out against Bolt and Co.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he admitted. “But I can’t wait. I’ve been to watch the Anniversary Games, but I’ve never raced there.
“I like to keep myself under the radar, but I’ve been improving bitby- bit. I’ve raced in a couple of Diamond League meetings which have been great to see what it takes to be a world-class sprinter.”
Prescod and James Dasaolu claimed the two automatic spots on offer for finishing in the top two, but now the selectors have to choose between Ujah and Adam Gemili for the third and final spot in London.
As well as Bolt, Mo Farah will take centre stage at the World Championships, and he will be joined in the 5000m by Andy Butchart.
The Scot was a convincing winner
in the event in which he came sixth in Rio last year and will be happy to test himself against the man who has dominated the 5000m for the last six years.
“Mo is a regular guy, but he’s a very smart trainer,” he said. “He’s been there so long and he knows how to do it.
“It’s really interesting to watch him and copy him when I can. To just be in the same Championships as Mo is special.”
The stand-out performance of the day came from Morgan Lake in the women’s high jump.
The 20-year-old, who was a junior World Champion in 2014 and
reached the final in Rio, achieved a personal best of 1.96m, the third best by a British woman, to earn her place in the British team.
However, one person who is unlikely to be racing in London is for mer Olympic Champion Christine Ohurougu.
She won gold in Beijing in 2008 and silver at her home Games four years later, but she failed to make today’s final in the 400m, trailing home in third place in her heat.
Ohurougu could still be called up for the 4x40m relay, but her quickest time this year is not enough to have her in the top-10 athletes in Britain.