Dina Asher-Smith focused on athletics as Zika virus threat swirls around Olympics
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 16/05/16 6:23pm
Dina Asher-Smith is unperturbed by the uncertainty surrounding the Zika virus which is threatening Brazil as the Olympics loom large.
Zika, a virus carried by mosquitos, has been shown to cause microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development and which results in abnormally small heads in babies of mothers infected while pregnant.
Its full impact is uncertain, and Jessica Ennis-Hill may opt out of the Belo Horizonte training camp and delay her arrival in Brazil to reduce the risk of infection.
There has also been academic advice that the Games should be cancelled or moved, while the World Health Organisation and the British Olympic Association are among those monitoring the situation.
Asher-Smith has seen the reports on Zika, but is focused on running as fast as she can this summer.
"There is a small concern, but I don't know how great it's going to be," the 20-year-old sprinter said. "You can't live in fear of the unknown, otherwise you do nothing, just stay inside in your house.
"Everybody's not sure about the full extent of it, the long-term [impact]. We're still waiting to see what happens. You can't predict what something like that's going to do, the long-term consequences, because it's popped up in the last six months.
"I'm just going to keep going. It's the Olympics, it comes round every four years. It's really, really special and as an athlete that's where you want to perform."
