Dina Asher-Smith has been tipped by Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill to be in the medal mix over both 100 and 200metres at the Paris Olympics.
Asher-Smith will have her final competitive outing before the Games over 200m at the London Diamond League on Saturday at London Stadium.
The Londoner is ranked a relatively lowly 12th fastest in the world for the 200m, and 21st over the shorter distance.
American Gabby Thomas, who she races, has been the form athlete over the longer distance, while Asher-Smith is up against Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson in the 100m.
Asher-Smith’s last global individual medal was a bronze in 2022, and it is five years since her only world title. Despite that, heptathlon great Ennis-Hill said: “It’s so, so tough in the sprints, and it’s going to be a real challenge. But she came out at the beginning of the season right up there with the rest of the girls.
“She’s had a good winter, she’s not had any particular niggles and she’s consistently built for Paris, so I think she can be right up there in the medals, definitely.
“She knows it’s not an easy challenge, she knows the field for both the 100 and 200 will be absolutely phenomenal. But she’s also got the talent to do it.”
Asher-Smith has been the leading light of the British team in the past, but looks likely to be usurped in Paris by Keely Hodgkinson, arguably Britain’s best bet for an athletics gold.
Hodgkinson is unbeaten over the 800m during the course of 2024 and her great rival, Athing Mu, missed out on an Olympics spot after falling at the US trials. It was Mu who pipped Hodgkinson to the gold at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, while the athlete she finished runner-up to at last year’s World Championships, Mary Moraa, is nearly a second slower than her this year.
And Ennis-Hill has tipped the 22-year-old to pick up her first global title.
She said: “I’ve such hopes for Keely, because she’s been incredible the past few years but always ended up with the silver medal.
“She’s got the capability of stepping up to the gold, but the 800m is a very tactical race. She’s still young, but she’s been around long enough to know how everyone plays that race. It’ll be exciting to watch.”
