Dina Asher-Smith claims 200m bronze at World Championships as Shericka Jackson storms to gold
Defending champion Dina Asher-Smith clinched bronze in the 200m at the World Championships.
The 26-year-old lost the title she won three years ago to overwhelming favourite Shericka Jackson.
Asher-Smith ran 22.02 seconds at Hayward Field to earn Great Britain’s third medal in America.
Jackson’s 21.45 seconds was a personal best and championship record and added to her silver from the 100m with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce second.
Asher-Smith had already equalled her British record of 10.83 seconds when she came an agonising fourth in the 100m final on Sunday as Jamaica – led by Fraser-Pryce – claimed a clean sweep.
She had always said she was in better shape than her pre-championship form suggested, having lost the British 100m title to Daryll Neita in Manchester last month.
On Thursday in Eugene she started well and managed to hold off the challenge of Nigeria’s Aminatou Seyni and the USA’S Abby Steiner to seal her podium spot.
Asher-Smith said after the race: “I am so happy. The calibre of that final was insane. All those women are capable of running sub-22 and I don’t think we’ve ever been in a world final with that kind of talent.
“For me I knew that I just had to run as fast as my legs were going to carry me and really pray and hope that it was enough to get on the podium. I am so happy to have got it.
“I thought I got it but I was like let me just see it in writing, there is nothing more embarrassing than celebrating without seeing it in writing.”
Asher-Smith now runs in the 4x100m relays with the final on Saturday.
The USA’s Noah Lyles took the men’s 200m title in 19.31 seconds ahead of teammates Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton.
