Dina Asher-Smith discusses her Tokyo plans, running on Xmas Day and social media bans
DINA ASHER-SMITH, Britain’s fastest woman in history, has a simple message for the the young girls who idolise her: Aim to be quicker than me.
As we approach the third decade of this century, the Londoner, 24, has the chance to cement herself as a household name.
Already she is recognised more frequently on the London Underground following the world 200m title triumph at the Doha World Athletics Championships
Glory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics would secure her place among Britain’s sporting icons.
And whenever she is approached for advice by young fans trying to get into athletics, she gives them a straightforward challenge.
In an exclusive chat with SunSport, Asher-Smith said: It’s funny when girls come up to me now and say they want to be like me.
“I always tell them: ‘Be better than me. Don’t want to be me. It’s all about being better. ‘
“There’s no point saying to somebody it’d be good if you emulated me. There’s no point.
“They’ve to aim to be better, be stronger, be faster. See if I’ve made any mistakes and don’t do them. Things always move forward in sport.”
It is this no-nonsense attitude that explains the drive and determination which has propelled her to the top of the 100m and 200m rankings ever since her kit-carrying appearance at the London 2012 Olympics.
Her times of 10.83 seconds and 21.88 seconds remain unprecedented within the British sprinting annuals.
Both times were secured in the finals of the world championships in Qatar where she won 200m gold, 100m silver and then 4x100m relay silver.
As any athlete aspires to, she peaked at the right moments of the season, silencing talk that several top runners were missing the 200m showpiece.
Asher-Smith said: “It’s been a really successful year.
“A year of growth, consistency and increasing my profile as a woman and an athlete. I’ve taken it up a level really.
“Being a world champion sounds crazy. My friend Raevyn Rogers, a chatty 800m runner from Texas, asked how it felt after I got my medal.
“I said: ‘It feels and sounds great but ultimately I still want to go on to achieve bigger things. I hope this is the beginning and part of a cool journey.
“Weirdly enough I was never somebody who dreamt of the limelight.
“I just liked running and getting faster and I always wanted to be better than the race before.
“Hopefully I can run faster. Faster times, executing plans, being stronger, more confident, and improving is what excites me. Rather than the titles themselves.”
Since Doha, there has been a well-earned holiday with school friends to Mauritius.
The kitchen she had hoped to paint the purple colours of a Doha hotel café remained undecorated because she went back to training.
It has been a month of awards show, fancy dresses and tributes.
This Sunday she will be in Aberdeen for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, aiming to be the 19th athletics winner of the main accolade. She is second in the betting behind World Cup-winning cricketer Ben Stokes.
Post-Sunday, her biggest worry is she might have to skip the turkey on Christmas Day and spend it on the blocks in the cold. Her demanding coach John Blackie has yet to make a definitive decision.
She groaned: “It usually depends on what day Christmas Day falls on. We try to keep that week as normal a training week as possible.
“I train six days a week so we try to have the seventh day on Christmas day if it works. If it messes up the rest of the training programme, then you have to roll through it. It depends on John and whether the track is open.”