Dina Asher-Smith believes she and her fellow Team GB sprinters can make their mark and come away with a medal in the 4x100m relays at the 2024 Olympics.
After what has been a difficult Olympic Games, Asher-Smith returned to some of her best form in the final of the 200m only to be denied a bronze medal by just two hundredths of a second on Tuesday night.
Asher-Smith had been told by her coach Edrick ‘Flo’ Floreal before the race, “if you die you die, just get out and keep going”.
That do-or-die attitude very nearly got her a medal after a 100m performance that was well off her best and left her and her coaching team scratching their heads. Now, she plans to leave Paris with a piece of silverware.
“I’m really excited for the relay,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a fun couple of days for us.
“Women’s sprinting is really incredible right now. It’s a great time to be a female sprinter.”
The Americans look set to be the strongest quartet in the relays while the Jamaicans have been shorn of some of their best pace women through injury.
Asher-Smith said she would reflect on her two individual races as a stepping stone following a first season training outside the UK in Texas with a new coach after splitting with lifetime coach John Blackie.
“For a first year with a new coach, I think this is a great platform to build from,” she said. “Overall, I’m happy because I’ve known I’ve been in a great place for this whole season.”
Daryll Neita was just a further hundredth of a second behind in the 200m in fifth following on from an impressive fourth in the 100m.
Neita revealed she had had a last-minute pep talk from Keely Hodgkinson, complete with a gold medal around her neck, telling her, “just leave nothing to chance, just give it your all”.
She added: “It’s amazing when you’ve got team-mates who are so open to share because not everybody might be so open. Keely is so open and inspiring, it’s a really good energy to be around.
“I was so close and you just want one of those medals. But I’m so proud of myself and I know my time is coming. I have to be a little bit more patient. I am hungry, I fought it all the way to the line. Ultimately, I don’t have the medal around my neck.”
Asher-Smith and Neita, who have been rivals since they were young girls, will reunite to become the fulcrum of the British sprint relay team in Paris. The heats are on Thursday morning with the final on Friday evening.
Tuesday night’s 200m final was won by American Gabby Thomas in a time of 21.83sec.
