American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has explained the reason behind Dina Asher-Smith’s poor show at the Paris Olympics and what makes her a special sprinter despite that.
Speaking on his Ready Set Go podcast, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion noted that Asher-Smith changing coaches and moving to a new environment is the main reason behind her slow season and how she has managed to bounce back to winning ways.
At the Paris Olympics, the Briton failed to reach the final of the women’s 100m and finished fourth in the women’s 200m final. She claimed a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m relay as Team USA took the crown.
Gatlin noted that she understands the disappointment that comes with failing to impress on an Olympic stage since the event only comes once in four years. He was quick to note that her bounce back at the Diamond League was something to be marvelled at since she is now ready to impress in upcoming races.
At the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne, Asher-Smith was in a class of her own as she clocked a stunning 10.88 seconds to claim the win in the women’s 100m.
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“She is angry, and I understand her frustration. She is in a new camp, she is under a new coach. She is in a whole new city and a whole new state and she is in a whole new country. The way she has been running this season is still good, it’s just her acclamation year,” Gatlin said.
“So, people who are asking questions about what’s wrong with Dina Asher, it’s her acclamation year, and she is getting used to a whole different system and a whole different environment. But, when you look at her now, she is starting to understand where she is at, who she is and how she executes her race. I love that race, this is how she should always run her race,” he added.
He explained that her running style is very different from the norm and that’s what makes her a lethal sprinter and a force to be reckoned with. Gatlin also advised Asher-Smith to maintain that style of running, noting that if she sticks to it, she will go places.
“She was very aggressive from the start, she commanded the lead and held on to the lead and she powered through her transition, she got to her top end, held her form and finished the race strong. That is her, that is a textbook power sprinter right there,” Gatlin said.
“We haven’t seen that in a while because everyone is turning into more frequency runners and they are just trying to get up and, top in as quick as they can and hold it for as long as they can but you watch that race, she goes through all of her phases like a textbook. Very proud of her and I hope that she holds that as her signature race style and she keeps doing that.”
