Dina Asher-Smith says she is in a “new era” and can achieve more than she previously thought possible after her heart attack in the 100m at Paris 2024.
The 28-year-old, Britain’s fastest woman, failed to reach the Olympic 100m final in August but recovered from that setback to be two hundredths of a second off a medal in the 200m before winning silver in the 4x100m relay.
Asher-Smith underwent major changes in 2024, changing her coaching preferences for the first time and moving to the United States.
“It was a first year for me,” Asher-Smith said on The BBC’s Headliners show.
“Even though it’s finally the end of the Olympic cycle, it’s actually the first year. And for a first year, it’s been pretty good overall — minus one day.”
The 2019 world 200m champion is a three-time Olympic relay medalist but was hoping to end her wait for a first individual Olympic medal in Paris after making a promising start after moving to Austin, Texas.
After a disappointing 2023 World Championships where she finished eighth in the 100m and seventh in the 200m, Asher-Smith made the decision to end a 19-year partnership with children’s coach John Blackie.
This led to her moving overseas to be coached by Edrick Floreal, whose world-class training group also includes St Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfredo and Ireland’s talented 22-year-old Rhasidat Adeleke.
The first signs were extremely positive.
Asher-Smith won European gold in the 100m in Rome ahead of the Olympics, securing her first major international title in five years and set her fastest 200m time in two years at the London Diamond League event in July.
But the now nine-time world medalist was left devastated when she failed to translate that form into the performance she craved when it mattered most at the Stade de France.
The morning after crashing out of the 100m semi-finals in Paris, Asher-Smith had to pull herself out of a trackside interview after going through her 200m heat, the emotions of the previous night still raw.
“I was very upset (but) I was determined not to let my disappointment in the 100m affect my performance in the 200m,” Asher-Smith said.
“I had my performance hat on. As soon as I felt I was upset, I had to remove myself from that environment in the most respectful way possible, mainly because I didn’t have time to be upset.
“I was still in the middle of the Olympics. My job at that point was to put together my best performance in the 200m and I knew I had to remove myself from that situation to put myself in the best mental space.”
The reason for her disappointment in the 100m, says Asher-Smith, was the mistakes she made during the preparation for the race, which caused her to run with “too much tension”.
“I think I’ve processed it,” Asher-Smith said.
“As an athlete, people have different opinions when they retire, you’re always going to have different opinions, but I think I feel pretty good about it and I’m sure the next cycle will be full of great moments and success.”
Ultimately, Asher-Smith wouldn’t let her performance in the 100m define her Paris experience – and has finished the season in strong form since the Games.
The Briton won the Diamond League in Lausanne in a season’s best 10.88 seconds before clocking 10.89 in Zurich before finishing just behind training partner Alfredo at the Diamond League Final in Brussels in September.
