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Dina Asher-Smith
Asher-Smith at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene
Personal information
Full nameGeraldina Rachel Asher-Smith
Born (1995-12-04) 4 December 1995 (age 28)
Orpington, London, United Kingdom
Alma materKing's College London
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
CountryGreat Britain & N.I.
England
SportAthletics
EventSprint
ClubBlackheath and Bromley Harriers Athletic Club
Coached byEdrick Floreal
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 4×100 m relay
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
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Eugene 200 m
Diamond League
First place 2019 100 m
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
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rome 100 m
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rome 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2016 Amsterdam 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2022 Munich 200 m
European Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2015 Prague 60 m
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Eugene 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 Rachel Asher-Smith (born 4 December 1995) is a British sprinter internationally active since 2011. In 2019 she was the first British woman to win a World title in a sprint event.

The fastest British woman on record, she won a gold medal in the 200 metres, silver in the 100 metres and another silver in the 4×100 m relay at the 2019 World Championships, breaking her own British records with further records which still stand. Aged 24, Asher-Smith was the first Briton to win three medals at a World Championships. She earned a bronze in the 200 m at the 2022 World Championships. As part of 4×100 m relay teams, she won bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics as well as medals at the 2013, 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Her highest Olympic finish individually was fourth in the 200 metres at the 2024 Games, missing a medal by two-hundredths of a second.

Asher-Smith won the 2013 European Junior 200 m title and the 2014 World Junior 100 m title. In July 2015, she became the first British woman to run under 11 seconds for the 100 m.[1] She then broke Kathy Cook's 31-year-old British 200 m record when finishing fifth at the 2015 World Championships. In this distance, she placed fifth at the 2016 Olympics and fourth at the 2017 World Championships. Asher-Smith is also a four-time individual European champion, including the 200 m title in 2016 and the 100 m/200 m double in 2018, and earned a silver for the 200 m in 2022 before reclaiming the 100m title in 2024.

She was the 2019 Diamond League champion over 100 m.

Domestically, Asher-Smith has won eight national titles, indoors and out, over 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres as of 2023.

She is the British record holder for the 100 m and 200 m and the British indoor record holder for the 60 m. Asher-Smith has been listed in the Powerlist as one of the UK's most influential people of African-Caribbean descent, most recently in the 2021 edition.[2][3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Geraldina Rachel Asher-Smith was born on 4 December 1995 in Orpington, London. Her parents are Julie, who was born in London, and Winston, who was born in Jamaica but moved to England when he was a child. She has Jamaican and Trinidadian ancestry.[4] She attended Perry Hall Primary School.[5] From 2008 to 2014, she attended Newstead Wood School in Orpington.[6] Asher-Smith achieved 9 A stars and 2 As in her GCSEs.[7] In August 2014, she got 3 A-Levels 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.[8][9][10] Asher-Smith graduated with a BA in 2017.[11] She is a supporter of Manchester United F.C.[12]

Asher-Smith was coached by John Blackie until 2023. In 2009, she ran the 300 metres in 39.16 seconds to set the current world age 13 best.[13] She has won the English Schools Championships 200 m title as an Under 15 (2010), U17 (2011) and U20 (2013). She won the 2013 event in a time of 23.63 s into a strong headwind.[13]

Asher-Smith worked as a kit-bag carrier during the 2012 London Olympics, including on "Super Saturday".[14]

Junior competitions

[edit]
Asher-Smith (C) with her 200 m gold at the 2013 European Junior Championships in Rieti (IT).

At the 2012 World Junior Championships, Asher-Smith finished seventh in the 200 m 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 200 m in 23.29 s, before joining Yasmin Miller, Steffi Wilson and Desiree Henry to win the 4 × 100 m 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.[15]

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

Professional athletics career

[edit]

Asher-Smith was part of the winning Great Britain team for the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2013 London Grand Prix meet[16] 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 out with a hamstring injury on the bend.[17]

She took the silver medal for the 60 m at the 2015 European Indoor Championships. 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.[18] She first broke the British 100 metres record with 11.02 s on 24 May in Hengelo, before becoming the first British woman to run a legal time under 11 seconds, with 10.99 s on 25 July at the London Anniversary Games. She then finished fifth at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing with a time of 22.07 s, a new British record.

Dina Asher-Smith at the 2017 World Championships in London.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, 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 m relay in a British record of 41.77 seconds.[19]

On 17 February 2017, Asher-Smith broke her foot in a training accident,[20] but still managed to secure fourth place in the women's 200 m[21] and a silver medal as part of the Great Britain 4 × 100 m relay later that year at the World Championships in London.

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 200 m final, and came away with a bronze medal in 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.[22] At the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Asher-Smith won both the 100 m[23] and 200m metres titles, improving her British records to 10.85 and 21.89 seconds respectively, 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 100 m). She won a third gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.[24] Asher-Smith was named women's European Athlete of the Year for her success in October.[25] She was later hailed by IAAF president Sebastian Coe as the next sprint sensation in athletics.[26]

Asher-Smith in starting blocks at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Asher-Smith won the silver medal in the 100 m at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in a new British record of 10.83 seconds, finishing second behind only Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.[27] She was the first female British sprinter to win, over 100 m or 200 m, an individual medal in the world championships since Kathy Cook in 1983.[27] On 2 October, she became the World Champion in the 200 m, setting a personal best and new British record of 22.16 seconds.[28][29]

Going into the 2021 season, Asher-Smith was a strong medal favourite for the short sprints at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Her season was off to a promising start in May when she won the women's 100 m final at the Gateshead Diamond League against a world class field, besting athletes such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Blessing Okagbare, Marie-Josée Ta Lou and Sha'Carri Richardson.[30] She followed this up in late June when she won the 100 m final at the 2021 British Athletics Championships in a time of 10.97 seconds. The clock had originally reported 10.71 seconds, which would have been a substantial national record, however this was corrected a few minutes later.[31] She came into the Olympics having gained selection in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 x 100 m relay, however failed to qualify for the 100 m final after placing third in her semifinal in a time of 11.05 seconds, which was not enough to gain a fastest non-automatic qualifying spot. Subsequently, she revealed in an emotional interview that she had actually sustained a hamstring injury during the finals of the British championships, and that she would be pulling out of the 200 m.[32] Nevertheless, she managed to return to contribute to the 4 x 100 m relay, aiding Great Britain in setting a new national record of 41.55 seconds in their heat, followed by a bronze medal in the final behind Jamaica and the United States. She later bounced back to end her 2021 campaign with season's bests of 10.87[33] seconds and 22.04 seconds[34] towards the end of the Diamond League circuit, the 200 m in Brussels and 100 m at the final in Zurich.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships after a season impacted by minor injuries, Asher-Smith finished eighth in the 100m final and seventh in the 200m. In October 2023, she announced that her coaching partnership of 19 years with John Blackie would end. She moved her base to Austin, Texas where she would be guided by Edrick Floreal.[35]

In 2024, Asher-Smith was selected for the British team at the 2024 European Championships, she overcame a slow start to win the gold medal in the 100m with a time of 10.99.[36] After winning the 200 metres gold medal at the 2024 British Athletics Championships, Asher-Smith was subsequently named in the Great Britain team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[37][38][39] She was eliminated in the semi-final of the 100m having run 11.10 seconds, and she finished fourth in the 200m in 22.22 seconds, narrowly denied the bronze medal by 2019 World Championships silver medallist Brittany Brown. Following the women's 200m final, she told BBC Sport: "I feel good. It's been a long week and I'm proud of that performance. It was a really strong field. All the girls, across them, had so many strengths [...], and I was really proud to have held my own."[40] Despite not winning a medal in an individual event, she won a silver medal in the 4 x 100m relay, with teammates Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita. The team finished in 41.85 seconds.[41] Following the Paris Olympics, Asher-Smith competed in the 100m at the Lausanne Diamond League, winning in a season's best time of 10.88 seconds—a time that would have won her the bronze medal in Paris. Explaining how she refocussed after Paris, she told reporters: "I just took some time for myself, to really think and then just attack the season because I know I'm in great shape -- I'm injury free, thank God -- and track is fun."[42]

Other activities

[edit]

Asher-Smith has modelled for Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Off-White, and in 2019 had a Barbie created in her likeness.[14] The same year, she made a cameo appearance in the music video for the single "Black" by Dave.[14]

In 2021, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Kent.[14]

Achievements

[edit]
Asher-Smith (R) races in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin.
Dina Asher-Smith (C) with her gold on the women's 200 m podium at the 2018 European Championships.
Asher-Smith celebrates her 200 m victory at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. With her earlier second-place finish in the 100 m it was her greatest career accomplishment.

Personal bests

[edit]
Event Time (s) Wind (m/s) Venue (m/s) Date Notes
60 metres indoor 7.03 i — Birmingham, United Kingdom 25 February 2023 NR
100 metres 10.83 +0.1 Doha, Qatar 29 September 2019 NR
200 metres 21.88 +0.9 Doha, Qatar 2 October 2019 NR
300 metres 36.41 — London, United Kingdom 21 April 2022 Mx
4 × 100 m relay 41.55 — Tokyo, Japan 5 August 2021 NR
60 metres indoor U23 7.08 i — Prague, Czech Republic 8 March 2015 NU23B
100 metres U23 10.99 +0.1 London, United Kingdom 25 July 2015 NU23R
100 metres U20 11.14 +1.5 Mannheim, Germany 5 July 2014 NU20R
200 metres U23 22.07 +0.2 Beijing, China 28 August 2015 NU23R
200 metres indoor U20 23.15 i — Sheffield, United Kingdom 2 March 2014 AU20R

International competitions

[edit]
Representing  Great Britain
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
2011 Commonwealth Youth Games Douglas, Isle of Man 1st 200 m 24.30
1st 4 × 100 m relay 46.19 [43]
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 7th 200 m 23.50
– 4 × 100 m relay DNF Pass failed
2013 European Junior Championships Rieti, Italy 1st 200 m 23.29 [44]
1st 4 × 100 m relay 43.81 NJR
World Championships Moscow, Russia 3rd 4 × 100 m relay 42.87
2014 World Junior Championships Eugene, OR, United States 1st 100 m 11.23 [45]
European Championships Zurich, Switzerland – 200 m DNF Injury[46]
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic 2nd 60 m 7.08 NR[47]
World Championships Beijing, China 5th 200 m 22.07 NR
4th 4 × 100 m relay 42.10 NR
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, OR, United States 6th (sf) 60 m 7.11 DNS[note 1]
European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 1st 200 m 22.37
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 42.45
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 5th 200 m 22.31 [48]
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 41.77 NR
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 4th 200 m 22.22
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 42.12
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 3rd 200 m 22.29
1st 4 × 100 m relay 42.46
European Championships Berlin, Germany 1st 100 m 10.85 WL NR
1st 200 m 21.89 WL NR
1st 4 × 100 m relay 41.88 WL
Continental Cup Ostrava, Czech Republic 2nd 100 m 11.16 [note 2]
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 42.55
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd 100 m 10.83 NR
1st 200 m 21.88 NR
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 41.85
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 10th (sf) 100 m 11.05
3rd 4 × 100 m relay 41.88
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 4th 100 m 10.83 =NR
3rd 200 m 22.02
6th 4 × 100 m relay 42.75
European Championships Munich, Germany 8th 100 m 16.03
2nd 200 m 22.43
- 4 × 100 m relay DNF
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 8th 100 m 11.00
7th 200 m 22.34
2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 1st 100 m 10.99
1st 4 × 100 m relay 41.91 EL
Olympic Games Paris, France 10th (sf) 100 m 11.10
4th 200 m 22.22
2nd 4 x 100 m relay 41.85 SB

Circuit wins and titles

[edit]
60 metres wins

National titles

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

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

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest woman: student and sprinter". BBC Sport. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  2. ^ Lavender, Jane (17 November 2020). "Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential Black Powerlist 2021". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  3. ^ Mills, Kelly-Ann (25 October 2019). "Raheem Sterling joins Meghan and Stormzy in top 100 most influential black Brits". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  4. ^ Boldon, Ato (21 June 2016). "IAAF Inside Athletics – Dina Asher-Smith". World Athletics. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith: The making of a world champion". BBC Sport. 2 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith, Britain's fastest woman: student and sprinter". BBC Sport. 5 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Ten fast facts about Dina Asher-Smith". British GQ. 3 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith Reaches 200m Final on Morning of A-Level Results". Huffington Post UK. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith passes the mark on the track and in her A-level results". The Guardian. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  10. ^ Henderson, Jason (3 October 2019). "Ten fast facts about Dina Asher-Smith". British GQ. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith ready to graduate to higher level after London success". The Guardian. 19 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Premier League predictions with Dina Asher-Smith". BBC Sport. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Athlete Profile". Thepowerof10.info. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d "The World According to Dina Asher-Smith". Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Souvenir Programme. pp. 66–67.
  15. ^ "BBC Sport – Young Sports Personality: Shooter Amber Hill wins BBC award". BBC News. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Dina ASHER-SMITH | Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  17. ^ Ingle, Sean (29 December 2014). "Dina Asher-Smith aims high in juggling sprinting and academic ambition". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  18. ^ "European Indoor Athletics – GB wins 9 medals in Prague". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
  19. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain win Olympic women's 4x100m relay bronze". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  20. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith breaks foot in final training session before Indoor Grand Prix". BBC Sport. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Medal drought continues at World Championships as Asher-Smith fourth in 200m final". 11 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Commonwealth Games". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "Mayer and Asher-Smith crowned European Athletes of the Year in Lausanne". European Athletics. 28 October 2018.
  26. ^ Lowell, Hugo (13 August 2018). "Track and field finds new sprint sensation in Dina Asher-Smith". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  27. ^ a b Ingle, Sean (29 September 2019). "Dina Asher-Smith claims world championship 100m silver". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  28. ^ Ramsak, Bob. "Report: women's 200m - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019". IAAF. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  29. ^ Ingle, Sean (2 October 2019). "Dina Asher-Smith wins world 200m gold to make history for Great Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Shacarri Richardson vs Dina Asher Smith 100 Metres Gateshead Diamond League". YouTube. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Müller British Athletics Championships Day 2". YouTube. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  32. ^ "Dina Asher Smith Interview Pulls out of the 200m at the Games". YouTube. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  33. ^ "Women 100 Metres Zurich Diamond League Final 2021". YouTube. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  34. ^ "Christine Mboma claims first ever Diamond League win in Brussels 200m - Wanda Diamond League 2021". YouTube. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  35. ^ "Dina Asher-Smith: Team GB sprinter splits with coach John Blackie after 19 years". BBC Sport. BBC Sport. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  36. ^ Henderson, Jason (9 June 2024). "Dina Asher-Smith wins fifth European title on golden night in Rome". Athletics Weekly.
  37. ^ "Kerr & Johnson-Thompson head GB Olympics athletics squad". BBC Sport. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  38. ^ "Asher-Smith, Hudson-Smith and Gill Among Olympic Contenders to Light Up UK Champs". British Athletics. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  39. ^ "Asher-Smith reaches Olympics as young GB stars shine". BBC Sport. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  40. ^ USA's Thomas wins 200m gold. BBC Sport. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ "Olympics 2024: Team GB win 4x100m relay silver, bronze double". ESPN. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  42. ^ "Results - 100m Women" (PDF). diamondleague.com. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  43. ^ Peters, Lionel; Magnusson, Tomas (27 October 2012). "Commonwealth Youth Games 2011". World Junior Athletics History. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013.
  44. ^ "European Athletics Results 2013". European Athletics. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  45. ^ "Morgan Lake and Dina Asher-Smith win World Junior golds". BBC Sport. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  46. ^ "Staying focused, running fast and having fun". SPIKES. 5 March 2015.
  47. ^ "European Athletics Results 2015". European Athletics. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  48. ^ "Elaine Thompson wins women's 200m gold, Dina Asher-Smith fifth". BBC Sport. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
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