Dina Asher-Smith once watched up close as Jessica Ennis-Hill won Olympic heptathlon gold and now Britain’s greatest ever female sprinter hopes the roles will be reversed in Paris.
Asher-Smith carried bags for athletes at the 2012 London Games and watched one of her heroines Ennis-Hill take the title on what became known by the hosts as ‘Super Saturday’ as Greg Rutherford won the long jump and Mo Farah the 10,000 metres.
At 28 this could be Asher-Smith’s last chance of securing an elusive Olympic individual medal at 100m or 200m.
In a neat flip, Ennis-Hill will be watching from the BBC studio in the Stade de France.
Asher-Smith has already emulated Ennis-Hill and her other athletics role model Christine Ohuruogu in winning her first global title — the 200m world outdoor title in 2019 — at 23, the same age they won their maiden crowns.
With her morale boosted by her second European 100m title in Rome in June, she pits her wits against world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson and the Jamaicans are bound to be strong.
Stepping up into the 200m, she will find Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson and American Gabby Thomas, who produced a remarkable come-from-behind run to win the London Diamond League meeting on Saturday as Asher-Smith faded to third.
“We’re definitely in the golden age of women’s sprinting and it’s great to be acknowledged in that group,” the Briton told Eurosport.
“We’ve been in the golden age of women’s sprinting for a while now -– the times on the women’s side, what it takes to make the podium, what it takes to make the final, it’s incredibly fast.
“It just pushes you to really fulfil your potential.”
Ennis-Hill remains a believer that Asher-Smith is a contender.
“She’s had a good winter, she’s not had any particular niggles and she’s consistently built for Paris, so I think she can be right up there in the medals, definitely,” Ennis-Hill told The Standard.
“She knows the field for both the 100 and 200 will be absolutely phenomenal. But she’s also got the talent to do it.”
‘Light and joyful’
Asher-Smith had been guided for nearly 20 years by coach John Blackie but last year she made the decision to move to the United States.
It was Blackie who Asher-Smith dedicated her 200m world title to as he had seen “special things” in her as an eight-year-old. They remain close.
In Texas she is training with two up-and-coming young talents, St Lucia’s world indoor 60m champion Julien Alfred and Ireland’s European 400m silver medallist Rhasidat Adeleke.
She has found the experience liberating.
“What has stood out to me here (in the USA), is that I can just kind of ‘be’,” she told the Guardian.
“That feeling of always being ‘on’ (in the UK) -– of always having to look all right, because people will stop you and take a picture.
“And always having to appear happy, even if you’re having the worst day ever. It has been almost 10 years since I can just kind of ‘be’ in my life.
“Being able to switch off has been one of the best things.”
Already armed with a history degree, Asher-Smith has taken up another challenge, pottery.
“I wanted to learn a new skill, something creative that stimulated my mind in a different way,” she said.
“I’m loving it. I go once or twice a week, and I’m chatting to people, being bad at stuff, watching things collapse, and trying again.
“I’m still not very good at putting the handles on.”
That will no doubt come in time but first up she has that date with the Olympics although she insists past disappointments do not play on her mind.
“Some people are very motivated by previous frustrations.
“But I’m somebody who just needs to feel free and light and joyful to run fast. That’s my mentality.”
