To the backdrop of rumbling thunder and crackling lightning, Dina Asher-Smith ended a five-year wait to return to the top of a medal rostrum at a major international championship.
Her reaction as she crossed the line, however, told its own story about a dramatic European women’s 100 metres final. “F--- me,” she mouthed to herself, pulling a face that conveyed a mixture of relief, happiness and horror at how close it had all been.
After qualifying less than two hours earlier with a European-leading 10.96sec in the semi-finals, Asher-Smith made a dreadful start in the final but duly showed championship composure to run down Poland’s Ewa Swoboda and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso in the closing metres.
“I didn’t panic in my running – in my head it was a different story,” said Asher-Smith, who won in 10.99sec. “That’s not normally my style of race but I’m happy to run another sub-11 performance in a different way.
“It’s two sub-11 performances – one slowing down, one speeding up. Ultimately it’s a step towards Paris in a great direction. You’re happy to win any championship.”
All roads this summer do of course lead to the Olympic Games but a fifth European Championship gold – and an 18th major medal over an 11-year span – still sends a message that will be noted across the Atlantic.
While significantly behind the best sprinters from outside Europe, Asher-Smith clearly demonstrated the potential to run much faster in the Stade de France, where she also intends to compete in the 200m distance at which she won the title at the 2019 World Championships.
Aside from swelling that vast medal count, victory should also provide a timely confidence boost following some significant lows at major championships over recent years.
Now 28, Asher-Smith had run 10.85sec at the London Diamond League in July, only to feel unexplained sensations in her legs in finishing respectively 8th and 7th in the 100m and 200m World Championships last summer.
She also suffered a hamstring injury at the 2022 European Championship – a year in which she did run 10.83sec to finish fourth in the 100m world championship – following heartbreak at the 2021 Olympics when a hamstring tear ruined her medal hopes.
This winning return also follows a major upheaval off the track. Asher-Smith took what was the hugely difficult and emotional decision last October to change her coaching set-up and part company with John Blackie, who had guided her since the age of eight at the Blackheath and Bromley club.
She also opted to uproot her entire life to Austin in Texas, where she is now coached by the American Edrick “Flo” Floréal. The new training group includes the world indoor 60m champion, Julien Alfred, and the Irish 400m runner Rhasidat Adeleke, who has already won a gold medal here in the mixed 4x400m relay.
Amy Hunt, who graduated last year from Cambridge University after combining her athletics with a degree in English literature, also made it two Britons in the 100m final and justified her selection by finishing seventh. Britain now have high hopes of a sprint treble in Rome, with Daryll Neita starting out in the 200m on Monday ahead of the 4x100m relay on Wednesday night.
There were also multiple British runners in the women’s 1500m final on Sunday. Georgia Bell, who returned to serious athletics only last year after being inspired by her local Parkrun, ran brilliantly in her first major outdoor championships to take silver. The 30-year-old, who is on a sabbatical from her full-time job in artificial intelligence, had shared the lead with team-mate Jemma Reekie for much of the race.
The relatively slow pace seemed to be suiting the speed of 800m specialist Reekie. She duly made her move with 400m to go, only to fade in the final 200m and be passed both by Bell and the Irish winner Ciara Mageean in finishing fifth.
“The journey has been insane – tonight was the most fun a track can be,” said Bell. “I’m so glad I came back to the sport. I’d be at home with the Sunday scaries ahead of work tomorrow but instead I’m here.”
Bell had requested her sabbatical, which pending Olympic selection will last until the end of summer, immediately after reaching the final of the 1500m at the World Indoor Championships in March.
“Steve Cram did me a solid because on the BBC he said something like, ‘Georgia must know if she gives running a good go she has got a good shot’. Everyone in my work was tuned in so they were like ‘Ah, maybe she is kind of good and maybe we should support her over the summer’.”
Great Britain’s first gold medal of these championships was earlier won by the women’s half marathon team of Calli Hauger-Thackery, Abbie Donnelly, Clara Evans and Lauren McNeil. Hauger-Thackery took individual bronze while Donnelly and Evans also finished in the top 10.
That was followed up in the 3,000m steeplechase when Lizzie Bird repeated her podium finish in Munich two years ago with another bronze. “My two goals coming into this were to get a medal and get the Olympic standard…so job done,” said Bird.
