Dina Asher-Smith says she has to get faster to win Olympic gold

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Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith says she will have to "get a little bit faster" to challenge for gold at the World Championships and Olympic Games.

Track legend Michael Johnson believes the 22-year-old is capable of winning Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 after she won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the European Championships.

"It's not easy," Asher-Smith told the BBC. "It's the Olympic Games.

"There are so many talented women out there running unbelievable times."

Asher-Smith, who will race in the 200m at the Diamond League event in Birmingham on Saturday, added: "I think we have got three or four of the fastest women of all time in action right now.

"Not all of them were at the European Championships, some of them run for America and Jamaica. It is no easy task."

Asher-Smith won the 100m in Berlin in 10.85 seconds, the joint fastest time of the year alongside Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou.

In her "personal favourite", the 200m, the Briton ran 21.89 at the European Championships which she said "blew my mind", as she became the only woman to run under 22 seconds this year with a world-leading time.

European Championships 2018: Asher-Smith 'one of the best in the world' - Johnson

However, those times would have seen Asher-Smith finish third in the 100m and 200m finals at the Olympic Games in Rio two years ago, with Jamaica's Elaine Thompson winning both events in 10.71 and 21.78.

"First and foremost I have to keep training and get a little bit faster," said Asher-Smith.

"While 10.85 and 21.89 are good times and would put me in good stead at a normal World Championships and Olympics, the fantastically talented women across the world are so fast that won't let me sit here and say 'it is going to be nice and easy'.

"It's definitely not. I'm going to have to bring my A game in every single race next season and definitely for the World Championships in Doha.

"It's just a lot of hard work and lot of focusing to make sure I can hopefully put myself in the mix."

Asher-Smith will face Ta Lou in a strong 200m field at Birmingham this weekend that also includes Jamaican duo Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as well as American Jenna Prandini and Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas.

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143 comments

  • Comment posted by foreverengland, at 12:05 14 Aug 2018

    Great all round performance from someone who seems like a really nice person too. Well done Dina!

  • Comment posted by Jezza, at 11:55 14 Aug 2018

    Spoken by a true winner

  • Comment posted by Richiewrotethis, at 12:04 14 Aug 2018

    Since completing her history degree (smart as well as super-fast!) and being able to concentrate on athletics full time, Dina's gone from strength to strength.

    I've got a really good feeling about next year - especially if she's able to add a Diamond League championship to her ever-growing list of awards at the end of the month.

  • Comment posted by U15703713, at 13:01 14 Aug 2018

    She makes watching a pleasure, outstanding athlete with great attitude showing genuine excitement. Should be Sports personality of the year.

  • Comment posted by Hmmmm, at 12:37 14 Aug 2018

    The individual wins were highly impressive, but her relay stint was quite breathtaking.

    It's one thing to know you're faster than the three in front of you, but quite another to reel in a 5-10 metre head start. Usain-esque!

  • Comment posted by RugbyDon84, at 12:26 14 Aug 2018

    Great performance from Dina Asher-Smith and she is absolutely correct that she will need to get better from now to medal at the Tokyo games. Hopefully Dina can stay fit, not break anything, and improve her times from now until then. She is a lovely, bright, talented and intelligent young woman and I wish her every success.

  • Comment posted by Wayne, at 12:25 14 Aug 2018

    Dina has all the talent, drive and detemination to be the very best. With her studies completed she can now concentrate on her sport full time. Hopefully she will continue her recent successes and go on to win World and Olympic titles.

    The new golden girl of her generation and can be for years to come.

  • Comment posted by FleetJackHobbs, at 11:51 14 Aug 2018

    Good to think that this young woman has both feet on the ground! (ho ho ho)

  • Comment posted by SportGuru, at 13:21 14 Aug 2018

    Her acceleration in the middle of the last leg of the relay was astonishing, and bodes well for when she comes up against the world’s best, of which she is undoubtedly one. She has a great future.

  • Comment posted by U16916611, at 13:06 14 Aug 2018

    "It's just a lot of hard work and lot of focusing to make sure I can hopefully put myself in the mix." - stay focused on the track and not on the extraneous media and if the medals come, the post-career earnings should look after themselves one would hope.
    Brilliant performer the past week, lets hope we're celebrating with DAS - fastest woman in the World over one or another sprint distance.

  • Comment posted by Jimbobs legs, at 12:19 14 Aug 2018

    Hopefully her success here and undoubted future success acts as a catalyst to get more young people into athletics so we can have more truly world class track and field athletes. Unfortunately, the lack of money on offer other than to those in the top echelon of the sport means other sports are more attractive.

  • Comment posted by iggy1987, at 16:48 14 Aug 2018

    89

    You are a disgrace to this great diverse nation

    This is what brexit & the comments by the etonian windbags legitimizes

    She is a credit to her sport & the nation

  • Comment posted by Yoshik53, at 12:48 14 Aug 2018

    So long as she can remain injury free she will be the fastest in the world.

    Commitment is 100%, self-belief 100% and above all she has no doubt scared the others who have no room for improvement.

    Let's not forget the male runners who performed heroically and have room to improve and be in the top echelon of sprinters.

    UK has a bright future.

  • Comment posted by evernut, at 12:45 14 Aug 2018

    Dina is an absolute star. There is no doubting she can go faster. To win Olympic and World golds she will have to improve .

    She will have to have the best of the best coaches and access to the worlds best training programmes. If she doesn’t have that now , she needs to make the step up. This girl has all the talent in the world , it is there to be realised to the full.

  • Comment posted by BRAVEHEART, at 12:51 14 Aug 2018

    The girl dun good !

    Now she must step up a notch or two, to beat the Americans and Jamaicans !

    It all bodes well for the 2020 Olympics.

    Lets hope British athletes , sportsmen/women, can achieve the same, or even better the fantastic medal tally of Rio and London.

  • Comment posted by JimmyC, at 16:06 14 Aug 2018

    81. Ah yes, I can just see it, balding et al “having fun” in the studio, clowning around with some gimmick, totally forgetting hat it’s the athletes who are the stars, not some eejit with a microphone.

    Presenters like Steve rider were spot-on, knew they were there to facilitate our viewing rather than thinking we had tuned in to watch the presenters

  • Comment posted by alric8, at 13:00 14 Aug 2018

    @winterbreak4england

    Did you notice how many good, interesting, knowledgeable studio guests there were? Because that's how guests should be chosen.

  • Comment posted by AllSeeingEye, at 20:24 14 Aug 2018

    #54 Phil Jones was a very knowledgeable sports journalist & commentator. He really knew his stuff and his interviews with the athletes were insightful.

    I don't care what gender the presenter/commentator/interviewer is so long as they know their stuff but isn't boring. The BBC had a bit too much talking and not enough live action when compared to Eurosport even with their ad breaks.

    Go Dina!

  • Comment posted by U17064805, at 16:10 14 Aug 2018

    As much chance as any of them of taking Olympic gold I can only see her getting quicker. All the very best for the World championships and the 2020 Olympic Games

  • Comment posted by Mark Arnold, at 14:57 14 Aug 2018

    What a joy to read a BBC HYS that isn't dominated by people pointing out that Dina's great-grandmother's second cousin twice removed had a Russian hamster and so she isn't really British, or some other ridiculous tripe. A wonderful European Championships for an amazing athlete who could become one of Great Britain & Northern Ireland's all time greats! Wishing you all the best Dina!

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