After having to be content with silver in the 100metres, sprint queen, Dina Asher-Smith, majestically stepped from behind the shadows of that disappointment to reign supreme at the top of the world with a oh so comfortable win in the 200m final in Doha – thus becoming the first British woman ever to win a major global sprint title.
The 23-year-old was the outstanding favourite, stormed to World Championships as she outclassed the field to take gold in a British record of 21.88 seconds and become the first Briton to win a world or Olympic sprint title since Linford Christie at Stuttgart 1993.
The race, in front of yet another sparsely-filled Khalifa Stadium, was a formality for Asher-Smith as she came off the bend comfortably in front before powering away from the rest of the pack in the final straight.
Though near-empty, a large contingent of British fans and fellow-Team GB competitors did their extra-loud ‘bit’ to see her over the line in no uncertain terms.
"I woke up today thinking, 'This is it”, an overwhelmed and joyously tearful Asher-Smith said. “This is the moment you did all your work for' and the tiredness disappeared."
Inspired to glory after her mum, Julia, and father, Winston, offered her a Chanel handbag if she hit her target.
Now Dina will be looking to fill her new, shiny exclusive designer-wear with further gold medals as she prepares herself for the sprint relay, then Tokyo, for the 2020 Olympics.
American, Brittany Brown, took the silver medal whilst Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji took bronze.
