Dina Asher-Smith stormed to her first ever world title, comfortably winning a race she was the firm favourite to win, and she did so shattering the British Record to win Gold in the women’s 200m title at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
The British athlete who had won Silver in the 100m, upgraded to first place in the 200m, running a commanding final to win with a new NR of 21.88s.
Right from the heats, it has never been in doubt that this was going to be Asher-Smith’s year, especially going by how well she ran the heats and also factoring in that other top challengers weren’t contesting the event.
First out of the curve, and it stayed that way till the finish as Asher-Smith claimed a title that she had desperately wanted. USA’s Brittany Brown finished in 2nd place with a PB of 22.22s, while Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji understandably celebrated effusively after winning her first ever world championships outdoor medal, finishing 3rd in 22.59s
Asher-Smith by victory, became the first British sprinter in history to win a 200m world title, and that time saw her become the second fastest woman over that distance in the world this year. Only Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo ran faster than her in the world this year, with a World Lead of 21.74s.
In fact, only two women have gone under 22s in the 200m this season: Miller-Uibo and now Asher-Smith.
The Olympics is going to be much tougher, however if Asher-Smith stays healthy and continues to run as well as she has done in 2019, then she would definitely be a major contender in Tokyo.
