Dina Asher-Smith has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games after injuring her left hamstring during the world championships and now faces a race against time to defend her three European titles in Munich next month.
Asher‑Smith, who won bronze over 200m in Eugene, was expected to be one of Team England’s biggest names in Birmingham, but on Wednesday she said: “Unfortunately, I’ve got a slight hamstring strain and won’t be ready to race next week at the Commonwealth Games. “I love racing in front of a British crowd and was so excited to return to Birmingham, so I’m sad that I won’t be there.”
Asher-Smith, who won gold and bronze in the Gold Coast in 2018, was due to compete in the women’s 100m and 4x100m relay. She added: “No major worries and nothing to worry about. I feel good but I’m in need of a few days off.”
It is the second hamstring injury Asher-Smith has suffered in the past year. Six weeks before the Tokyo Olympics she was in crutches after picking up an injury on her right leg but was able to recover in time for the Games after a visit to the controversial German doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt.
