World champion Dina Asher-Smith sends out warning to sprint rivals
Twenty-four-year-old set a new British record of 21.88 seconds in the 200 metres in October
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Dina Asher-Smith has sounded an ominous warning to her rivals by revealing that her love of sprinting is fuelled by the purest need for speed.
The 200 metres world champion revealed her quest to find her full sprint limits “just never stops” while taking part in an Instagram Live chat with former England Women footballer Alex Scott.
Asher-Smith set a new British record of 21.88 seconds in storming to a World Championships 200m victory in Doha in October, cementing her status as one of the world’s best in doing so.
And now the 24-year-old has conceded she expects to keep on running long after her elite career is at an end.
Asked if she has ever had moments where she considered quitting athletics, Asher-Smith replied: “No, I never thought about quitting, never ever. I run for not just championships; I run just because I want to see how fast I can go, and that journey just never stops.
“I’ll probably still run when I stop being elite, just because of how much I enjoy it.”
In a wide-ranging discussion, Asher-Smith encouraged young girls to stick with sport through their tricky teenage years, saying: “There are so many reasons why young girls drop out, and I’m very passionate about keeping them in sports.
“Lots of people have anxiety when it comes to puberty. Because it’s a time when people are trying to figure themselves out.
“When they look at what they see in the media, and while that’s definitely changed a lot in the last three to four years, there are still many ideas of femininity that are sometimes at odds with the stereotypes of sportswomen.
“And there are pressures from elsewhere that tell them: ‘Is it cool?’ I tell them: ‘Yes it’s cool.’”
PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments