Dina Asher-Smith: Great Britain sprint star on coping with the limelight
"If you asked me a few years ago or even last year I would have been 'no, please just don't look at me'," says world champion
By Mathieu Wood
Last Updated: 12/12/19 11:51am
Dina Asher-Smith admits she is yet to fully come to terms with her increased stature in British sport as she approaches the biggest year of her career.
The 24-year-old added her name into the history books at the World Championships in Doha, where she became the first British woman to win a global sprint title in October.
Asher-Smith became the first Briton to win three medals at a major global athletics championships in her fourth World Championships and is now targeting Olympic success in Tokyo next summer.
Asked about the increased expectations on her shoulders, Asher-Smith tells Sky News' Jacquie Beltrao: "I just keeping going like normal if I am being honest!
"I am getting a bit more comfortable with there being more attention.
"If you asked me a few years ago or even last year I would have been 'no, please just don't look at me'. I am still a bit like that, don't get me wrong.
"But I have interpreted it as people want you to do well. People are hoping you do well, which is absolutely lovely.
"Obviously, people's hopes and aspirations are completely distinct from the hard work that I still need to do and it is distinct from what actually might happen on the track because you have still got to put in the work to be successful.
"It is just well-wishes and it is really nice that so many people want me to do well."
Asher-Smith says her biggest life lesson stems from the disappointment of initially missing out on her desired school through the 11+ examination, before getting in after the second wave of results.
"I always think that it is great that I am fast and talented but without hard work it really doesn't mean that much"
Dina Asher-Smith
The British sprint sensation, who now boasts a history degree from King's College London, says that moment instilled in her that hard work trumps talent.
"I always think that it is great that I am fast and talented but without hard work it really doesn't mean that much," she says.
"There are loads of people that are talented in the world but you do have to work hard to achieve your goals."
Asher-Smith, who was a kit carrier at the London Olympics in 2012, is aware that attitude will be paramount as she prepares for what could be another defining moment in her career.
"There are quite a few small but significant hurdles that you have to overcome before you can even think about the Olympics," she says.
She aims to make her first appearance on the track next year around May or June but will definitely feature at the Anniversary Games in July - held at the London Stadium.
"That will actually be the first opportunity I am able to stand in front of a British crowd as a world champion, which is a crazy thought!" she says.
Earlier this week, Russia were handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events - including the Tokyo Olympics - by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Asher-Smith says the decision is another positive move to help ensure athletics is a "clean sport", but insists she has never lacked trust in her rivals' performances.
"I have never stood on the line and thought that," she says.
"Simply because that is not the right mentality to go into a race with.
"When I stand on the line you have to be ready to race whatever is there. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are; whether it is windy, weather it is cold or whether there is something else."
Meanwhile, Asher-Smith concedes there will be plenty of sacrifices she will have to continue to accept, including "all the fun things" such as eating cakes and pizza.
But such treats will pale into insignificance if Asher-Smith can achieve her desired success in Tokyo and thus maintain British women's sprinting on the global map.
"Ultimately it is all worth it because if you retire after having a great career you can eat all the cakes for the rest of your life," she says.
