Smith makes history

06 Oct, 2019 - 00:10 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

DOHA – FOR the first time in history, Britain has a female sprinter who can call herself the best in the world.

Dina Asher-Smith has the gold medal to prove it. Last Sunday, she followed in footsteps few British women had ever taken when winning 100m silver, here she forged her own path in going one better.

By breaking her own national record to win world 200m gold in 21.88 seconds, Asher-Smith made history as the first British woman ever to win a global sprint title.

Yet, what she achieved in Doha stretches far beyond that one statistic, no matter how momentous it may be.

This goes bigger.

Asher-Smith, alone, made both women’s 100m and 200m podiums here in Doha.

And, while there were various reasons for the absence of many of her rivals, they should be treated as no more than that — circumstantial factors that bear no relevance to the outcome.  Her winning time would have been good enough for gold in 13 of the 17 editions of the World Championships.  So much for anyone who claims this was a soft gold medal.

After crossing the finish line, there was disbelief first. Then came pure elation. And finally, when she was reunited with her mother Julie, who travels the world watching her daughter race, came the tears.

Ultimately, the only words that matter are this: Asher-Smith, world champion. -Telegraph

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