“I have a mental awakening” – Asher-Smith in a “new era”

Dina Asher-Smith says she has entered a “new era” and can achieve more than she previously thought possible after her 100m heartbreak in Paris in 2024.

The 28-year-old, the fastest woman in Great Britain, failed to reach the Olympic 100m final in August, but she bounced back from that defeat to be two hundredths of a second away from a medal in the 200m and then won silver in the 4× relay. 100 m

Asher-Smith underwent a significant change in 2024, changing her coaching setup for the first time and moving to the United States.

“It was the first year for me,” Asher-Smith said on the BBC's Headliners Programme.

“Even though this is ultimately the end of the Olympic cycle, this is actually the first year. And for a first year, it was pretty good overall – minus one day.”

The 2019 200m world champion is a three-time Olympic relay medalist, but she was hoping to end her wait for her first individual Olympic medal in Paris after moving to Austin, Texas.

Following a disappointing 2023 World Championships, where she placed eighth in the 100m and seventh in the 200m, Asher-Smith made the decision to end her 19-year relationship with her childhood coach John Blackie.

This led to her moving abroad, where she was trained by Edrick Floreal, whose world-class training group also includes the Olympic champion from St. Lucia in the 100 m Julien Alfred and the talented 22-year-old Irishwoman Rhasidat Adeleke.

The early signs were extremely positive.

Asher-Smith won 100m gold in Rome in the run-up to the Olympics, securing her first major international title in five years, and in July at the London Diamond League competition she ran her fastest 200m time in two years.

However, the nine-time world medalist was devastated when she was unable to translate that form into the performance she wanted when it mattered most at the Stade de France.

The morning after her 100m semi-final in Paris, Asher-Smith had to withdraw from her on-track interview after clearing the 200m heats, with emotions from the previous night still raw.

“I was very nervous (but) I was determined not to let the disappointment of the 100m affect my performance in the 200m,” Asher-Smith said.

“I was wearing a hat. As soon as I felt myself getting upset, I had to remove myself from that environment as respectfully as possible, mainly because I didn't have time to worry.

“I was still in the middle of the Olympics. At that point, my job was to get my best result in the 200 m and I just knew I had to take myself away from the situation to put myself in the best mind possible.”

Asher-Smith says the reason for her disappointment in the 100m was due to mistakes she made in preparation for the race, which led to her running with “too much tension”.

“I think I got through it,” Asher-Smith said.

“As an athlete, when people retire, they have different opinions, you will always have different opinions, but I guess that doesn't bother me and I'm sure the next cycle will be full of great moments and successes.”

Ultimately, Asher-Smith didn't let her 100m performance define her experience in Paris, and she has finished the season in strong form since the Games.

The Briton won the Diamond League in Lausanne in a season-best 10.88 seconds, followed by 10.89 in Zurich and then finished second to training partner Alfred at the Diamond League final in September in Brussels.

Next year – the second new chapter in her career – will see Asher-Smith reach double digits in world medals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Crucially, Asher-Smith feels like she wants to achieve much more on the track, and the six-time European champion believes the “landscape is changing” in terms of how long female athletes can compete.

“There are definitely a lot of things I want to do in life, but I think there are a few more things I want to do in track and field,” Asher-Smith said.

“It was an important year. In sunny Texas, it's a new group, a new training program, a new racing calendar. A new approach to competitions and championships.

“That's been my focus all year, working on what's best for me, and it's made me re-evaluate what I can do in this sport and how good I can be.

“I had a mental awakening and realized that I could do more things than I thought possible.”