Dina Asher-Smith

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Dina Asher-Smith
Dina AsherSmith Euro Champs 2018.JPG
Asher-Smith at the 2018 European Championships
Personal information
Full nameGeraldina Asher-Smith
NationalityBritish
Born (1995-12-04) 4 December 1995 (age 26)
Orpington, London, England
Alma materKing's College London
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportWomen's athletics
Event(s)Sprint
ClubBlackheath and Bromley Harriers Athletic Club
Coached byJohn Blackie
Achievements and titles
World finals
  • 2013
  • 4×100 m,  Bronze
  • 2015
  • 200 m, 5th
  • 4×100 m, 4th
  • 2017
  • 200 m, 4th
  • 4×100 m,  Silver
  • 2019
  • 100 m,  Silver
  • 200 m,  Gold
  • 4×100 m,  Silver
Olympic finals
  • 2016
  • 200 m, 5th
  • 4×100 m,  Bronze
  • 2020
  • 4×100 m,  Bronze
Personal best(s)
  • 100 m: 10.83 NR (Doha 2019)
  • 200 m: 21.88 NR (Doha 2019)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m relay
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Doha 200 m
Silver medal – second place 2017 London 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2019 Doha 100 m
Silver medal – second place 2019 Doha 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Moscow 4×100 m relay
Diamond League
First place 2019 100 metres
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Amsterdam 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2018 Berlin 100 m
Gold medal – first place 2018 Berlin 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2018 Berlin 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2016 Amsterdam 4×100 m relay
European Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2015 Prague 60 m
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Oregon 100 m
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Rieti 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2013 Rieti 4×100 m relay
Representing Europe Europe
Continental Cup
Silver medal – second place 2018 Ostrava 100 m
Silver medal – second place 2018 Ostrava 4×100 m relay
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Gold Coast 200 m
Commonwealth Youth Games
Gold medal – first place 2011 Douglas 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2011 Douglas 4×100 m relay

Geraldina Asher-Smith (/ˈdiːnə ˈæʃɜː smɪθ/; born 4 December 1995) is a British sprinter. She is the fastest British woman in recorded history and has been listed in the Powerlist as one of the UK's most influential people of African/African Caribbean descent, most recently in the 2021 edition.[1][2] Asher-Smith has won a gold medal in the 200 m, silver in the 100 m, and another silver in the 4×100 m relay at the 2019 World Championships, breaking in the individual races her own British records with results which still stand. Aged 24, she was the first Briton to win three medals at a World Championships. At the relay event, she earned medals from the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and also from the 2013 and 2017 World Championships.

Asher-Smith won the 2013 European Junior 200m title, 2014 World Junior 100m title, and in July 2015, she became the first British woman to legally run under 11 seconds for the 100 m.[3] She then broke Kathy Cook's 31-year-old British 200 m record when finishing 5th at the 2015 World Championships, and in this distance, she placed 5th at the 2016 Olympics and 4th at the 2017 World Championships. Asher-Smith is also a four-time European individual champion, and one-time 100 m Diamond League champion.

Early life and education[]

Asher-Smith was born in Orpington, London. Her parents are Julie and Winston. She attended Perry Hall Primary School.[4] From 2008 to 2014, she attended Newstead Wood School in Orpington.[5] Asher-Smith achieved 9 A stars in her GCSEs.[6] In August 2014, Asher-Smith got 3 As for her A-Level exam results which allowed her entry into King's College London to study history. Upon receiving the results, she called it "the best morning" of her life.[7][8][9] She graduated with a 2:1 BA in 2017.[10] Asher-Smith is a supporter of Manchester United F.C.[11]

Asher-Smith is coached by John Blackie. In 2009, she ran the 300 metres in 39.16 sec to set the current World age 13 best.[12] She has won the English Schools Championships 200m title as an Under 15 (2010), U17 (2011) and U20 (2013). She won the 2013 event in a time of 23.63 seconds into a strong headwind.[12]

Junior competitions[]

Asher-Smith (center) at the 2013 European Junior Championships

At the 2012 World Junior Championships, Asher-Smith finished 7th in the 200m final in a then personal best time of 23.50 seconds. She said afterwards that "I am elated to have made the final and achieve a PB in the process, and I'm looking ahead to next year in Italy."

In 2013, she earned two gold medals at the European Junior Championships in Rieti, winning the 200m in 23.29, before joining Yasmin Miller, Steffi Wilson and Desiree Henry to win the 4 × 100m relay and break the UK junior record. The British squad originally finished fourth in the final but were promoted to the bronze medal after the disqualification of the French team. Asher-Smith was shortlisted for the 2013 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.[13]

At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Asher-Smith won the 100 metres running 11.23 secs.

Professional athletics career[]

Asher-Smith was part of the winning Great Britain team for the 4 × 100 m relay at the London Grand Prix meet[14] and was the youngest athlete selected for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Squad for the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. Along with teammates Annabelle Lewis, Ashleigh Nelson and Hayley Jones, she won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.

At the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zurich, she qualified for the 200 m final but pulled up with a hamstring injury on the bend.

She took the silver medal at the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships for the 60 m. It was the first time in 30 years that a British female won a medal in the event. In doing so, Asher-Smith equalled Jeanette Kwakye's British record of 7.08 s and, being 19 years old, became the fastest ever teenager at 60 m.[15] She first broke the British 100 metres record with 11.02 secs on 24 May 2015 in Hengelo, before becoming the first British woman to run a legal time under 11 seconds, with 10.99 secs on 25 July 2015 at the London Anniversary Games. She then finished fifth in the 2015 IAAF World Athletic Championships in Beijing with a time of 22.07, a new British record.

At the 2016 Summer Olympic in Rio, Asher-Smith finished fifth in the 200 metres, in 22.31 seconds, then won a bronze medal with her teammates Asha Philip, Desiree Henry and Daryll Neita in the 4 x 100 metres relay in a British record of 41.77 seconds.[16]

On 17 February 2017, Asher-Smith broke her foot in a training accident,[17] but still managed to secure fourth place in the women's 200m[18] and a silver medal as part of the Great Britain 4 × 100 m relay later that year at the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships in London.

Asher-Smith at the 2019 World Championships in Doha

In 2018, she went to Australia early to train and get used to the conditions prior to the Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place in Gold Coast, Queensland in that country. She qualified for the final, and came away with a Commonwealth bronze medal with a time off 22.29 seconds. England ladies, including Asher-Smith, qualified for the 4x100 m relay final, where they won gold in a time of 42.46 seconds, beating one of the favorites, Jamaica.[19] At the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Asher-Smith won both the 100m[20] and 200m metres titles, improving her British records to 10.85 and 21.89 secs, becoming the first British woman in history to run below 22 seconds for 200 metres, and moving to 22nd on the 200 metres world all-time list (35th at 100m). She won a third gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay.[21] Asher-Smith was named women's European Athlete of the Year for her success in October.[22] She was later hailed by IAAF president Sebastian Coe as the next sprint sensation in athletics.[23]

Asher-Smith won the silver medal in the 100 m at the 2019 World Championships in a new British record of 10.83 seconds, finishing second behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.[24] She was the first female British sprinter to win, over 100m or 200m, an individual medal in the world championships since Kathy Cook in 1983.[24] On 2 October, she became the World Champion in the 200m, setting a personal best and new British record of 21.88 seconds.[25][26]

As of 9 September 2021, her best season times in her signature events were 10.87 s and 22.04 s, respectively.

Major competitive record[]

Asher-Smith (right) at the 2018 European Championships
Asher-Smith (center) with her gold medal at the 2018 European Championships

Personal bests[]

Event Time (sec) Notes Wind Venue Date
100 metres 10.83 NR +0.1 m/s Doha, Qatar 29 September 2019
200 metres 21.88 NR +0.9 m/s Doha, Qatar 2 October 2019
4 × 100 m relay 41.77 NR Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 19 August 2016
100 metres U23 10.99 NU23R +0.1 m/s London, United Kingdom 25 July 2015
100 metres U20 11.14 NU20R +1.5 m/s Mannheim, Germany 5 July 2014
200 metres U23 22.07 NU23R +0.2 m/s Beijing, China 28 August 2015
60 metres indoor U23 7.08 i NU23B Prague, Czech Republic 8 March 2015
200 metres indoor 23.15 i AU20R Sheffield, United Kingdom 2 March 2014

International competition[]

Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
Representing  Great Britain /  England
2011 Commonwealth Youth Games Douglas, Isle of Man 1st 200 m 24.30
1st 4×100 m 46.19 [27]
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 7th 200 m 23.50
DNF 4×100 m Pass failed
2013 European Junior Championships Rieti, Italy 1st 200 m 23.29 [28]
1st 4×100 m 43.81 NJR
World Championships Moscow, Russia 3rd 4×100 m 42.87
2014 World Junior Championships Eugene, United States 1st 100 m 11.23 [29]
European Championships Zürich, Switzerland DNF 200 m Injury [30]
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic 2nd 60 m 7.08 NR [31]
World Championships Beijing, China 5th 200 m 22.07 NR
4th 4×100 m 42.10 NR
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, United States 6th (semis) 60 m 7.11 DNS[n 1]
European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 1st 200 m 22.37
2nd 4×100 m 42.45
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 5th 200 m 22.31 [32]
3rd 4×100 m 41.77 NR
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 4th 200 m 22.22
2nd 4×100 m 42.12
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 3rd 200 m 22.29
1st 4×100 m 42.46
European Championships Berlin, Germany 1st 100 m 10.85 WL NR
1st 200 m 21.89 WL NR
1st 4×100 m 41.88 WL
Continental Cup Ostrava, Czech Republic 2nd 100 m 11.16 [n 2]
2nd 4×100 m 42.55
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd 100 m 10.83 NR
1st 200 m 21.88 NR
2nd 4×100 m 41.85
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 10th (sf) 100 m 11.05
3rd 4×100 m 41.88

Circuit wins and titles[]

National titles[]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Time from the semi-finals. Asher-Smith qualified for the final but did not start
  2. ^ Representing Europe Europe

References[]

  1. ^ Lavender, Jane (17 November 2020). "Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential Black Powerlist 2021". mirror. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  2. ^ Mills, Kelly-Ann (25 October 2019). "Raheem Sterling joins Meghan and Stormzy in top 100 most influential black Brits". mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest woman: student and sprinter". 5 June 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith: The making of a world champion". 2 October 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest woman: student and sprinter". 5 June 2015 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ Nast, Condé (3 October 2019). "Ten fast facts about Dina Asher-Smith". British GQ. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith Reaches 200m Final on Morning of A-Level Results". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith passes the mark on the track and in her A-level results". The Guardian. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  9. ^ Henderson, Jason (3 October 2019). "Ten fast facts about Dina Asher-Smith". British GQ. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith ready to graduate to higher level after London success". 19 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Premier League predictions with Dina Asher-Smith". BBC Sport. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Athlete Profile". Thepowerof10.info. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  13. ^ "BBC Sport – Young Sports Personality: Shooter Amber Hill wins BBC award". Bbc.co.uk. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Dina ASHER-SMITH | Profile | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org.
  15. ^ "European Indoor Athletics – GB wins 9 medals in Prague". Runner's World. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain win Olympic women's 4x100m relay bronze". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith breaks foot in final training session before Indoor Grand Prix". 17 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. ^ "Medal drought continues at World Championships as Asher-Smith fourth in 200m final". 11 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Commonwealth Games – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  20. ^ Lowell, Hugo (7 August 2018). "Zharnel Hughes and Dina Asher-Smith seize historic British double gold at European Championships". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  21. ^ Lowell, Hugo (12 August 2018). "After a perfect start, a perfect end for Britain at the European Championships". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Mayer and Asher-Smith crowned European Athletes of the Year in Lausanne". European Athletics. 28 October 2018.
  23. ^ Lowell, Hugo (13 August 2018). "Track and field finds new sprint sensation in Dina Asher-Smith". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  24. ^ a b Ingle, Sean (29 September 2019). "Dina Asher-Smith claims world championship 100m silver". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  25. ^ "200 METRES WOMEN". iaaf. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith wins world 200m gold to make history for Great Britain". Guardian. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  27. ^ Peters, Lionel; Magnusson, Tomas (27 October 2012). "Commonwealth Youth Games 2011". World Junior Athletics History. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013.
  28. ^ "European Athletics Results 2013". European Athletics. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  29. ^ "Morgan Lake and Dina Asher-Smith win World Junior golds". BBC Sport. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Staying focused, running fast and having fun". SPIKES. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  31. ^ "European Athletics Results 2015". European Athletics. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  32. ^ "Elaine Thompson wins women's 200m gold, Dina Asher-Smith fifth". BBC Sport. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2018.

External links[]

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