Imagine becoming the first woman for your country to win a world title in a sprint event. The feeling will be incredible, right? That’s exactly what Dina Asher-Smith, the British sprinter, did when she struck gold at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, in 2019. Now focus on the amount of hard work that goes into forging such champions? Tremendous right? But Dina Asher-Smith has made it like a piece of cake. Her winning streak wouldn’t stop at the world title only. She would go on to smash one record after another.

Her incredible sprinting talent will earn her the title of fastest British woman in 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. So, what’s the incredible support system that has fueled the rise of Asher-Smith? Besides her own relentless pursuit of becoming sprinting great, the role of her longtime coach, John Blackie, is undeniable in her success. Let’s explore Dina Asher-Smith’s coaches and how they have shaped the incredible career of this British sprinting sensation.

Dina Asher-Smith splits from her longtime coach, John Blackie

Long before her professional career surfaced, Asher-Smith remained under the tutelage of one coach, John Blackie, since her childhood. She was just 8 years old when he took her under his guidance and remained one of her greatest guiding forces till her 28th birthday. Sadly, the incredible 19-year-old partnership finally came to an end when Asher-Smith decided to move to Austin, Texas.

Talking to Citius Mag, Dina Asher-Smith later disclosed the true reason behind her split with her longtime childhood coach. “My previous coach told me that he couldn’t come to Paris, that it’s just mobility stuff, which made me very sad. But when that was on the table, I was just like, ‘What do I want my Olympic year to look like?’ And that’s why I made the move to coach Flo. So it’s all good vibes, and I’m having a really fun time just trying to learn new things.”

After moving to Texas, Asher-Smith picked the much-acclaimed Edrick Floréal as her coach. She was training side-by-side with Julien Alfred, who won the 100-meter gold medal at the Paris Olympics with a record time of 10.72s. Now, she has qualified for the 200m finals at the summer events after finishing second in the semifinals, clocking 22.31s. She could very well end her drought of Olympic gold; till then, let’s have a look at some of her exceptional performances.

What are the shortest track records of Asher-Smith?

Dina Asher-Smith first came to the limelight in 2015, when she broke the national 100m record with her runtime of 11.02s. She would scrape her run time further and set a new 100m record at the Diamond League Meet in Doha, Qatar, clocking 10.83 seconds. The 200m event at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019 witnessed her blazing fury again. She raced past the finish line in 21.88 seconds, setting another national record. But that wasn’t the end.

Asher-Smith dashed through the 60m track in a British record time of 7.04 seconds in the same year at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham, UK. For now, she has moved on to have a new coach and new environment while living in Austin, Texas, and the new atmosphere seems to suit the British sprinter as she has made her way to the 200m finals at the Olympics, carrying the nation’s dream of a gold medal further along.