Dina Asher-Smith warns against rising expectations after European Championships success
The 22-year-old stormed her way into the history books in Berlin where she became the first British woman to claim the 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles at the event
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Your support makes all the difference.Dina Asher-Smith has warned against rising expectations following her exploits in Berlin, insisting it’ll be “no easy task” to challenge for gold at the Olympic Games.
The 22-year-old stormed her way into the history books at the European Championships where she became the first British woman to claim the 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles at the event.
Attention now turns to the World Championships in Doha, followed by the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and already the young British star has been tipped for glory.
For now, though, the Briton is refusing to get ahead of herself after last week’s stunning success.
“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 this weekend, 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.”
This hasn’t stopped Michael Johnson, a four-time Olympic champion, from tipping Asher-Smith as athletics’ next big thing.
“Dina can go faster,” he told the BBC. “There hasn’t been anyone who has got to this point where they are a global medal contender at such a young age, other than Jessica Ennis-Hill.”
He added: “Is she capable of winning gold in Tokyo? Absolutely.”
Ahead of Doha and Tokyo, Asher-Smith has said she’ll now be working to increase her speed on the track.
Clocking in at 10.85 and 21.89secs in the 100m and 200m in Berlin, such times would have seen the Briton finish third in both finals at the 2016 Olympic Games, with Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson winning both events in 10.71 and 21.78secs.
“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.”
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