Dina Asher-Smith says that she has already lived the 200 metres final of the world championships over in her mind numerous times and on each occasion she comes out the winner.
The 19-year-old history student from Kent will get a chance to race for real today after recording the fastest time in yesterday’s semi-finals, having been fastest in the heats the previous day.
“I might visualise the final a couple of times, but I’m going to focus on sleeping,” Asher-Smith said. “I run through it as if I’m running it. It’s quite fun. You kind of have to win or else there’s no point.”
The progress this season of Asher-Smith, the world junior 100 metres champion, has been stunning. She became the first British woman in history to go under 11 seconds for the 100 metres last month and would have broken the 31-year-old British record of Kathy Cook yesterday had she not eased down before the line. As it was, her time of 22.12sec was a personal best and 0.02sec outside Cook’s record.
“I was quite happy I was able to ease down,” she said. “I was quite grateful to be in that position and save something for the next round. When you’re at the champs it’s about places. Times are great, but if you get a medal and a time you’re not happy with, it doesn’t matter as you came here for a medal.
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“I’ve been surprised by my performances, but I don’t think they’ve surprised John [Blackie, her coach]. I’m not letting it sink in, I’m just concentrating on executing my race.”
Christine Ohuruogu’s hopes of retaining her world 400 metres title ended in disappointment as she could not match the pace of Allyson Felix, who led from the start to win in 49.26.
Ohuruogo is normally strong in the latter half of a race, but she went out quickly in an attempt to stay close to the American. As Felix kicked again off the final bend, Ohuruogu began to crack as one runner after another passed her and she finished last in 50.63. Shaunae Miller, of the Bahamas, was second in 49.67, with Shericka Jackson, of Jamaica, third in 49.99.
“When the race is fluid, you don’t usually think that much, but I think I was thinking quite a bit, like ‘my title’s gone’!” Ohuruogu said. “It’s really a blessing to be here. Many times throughout the year I just couldn’t be bothered to finish the season because it was getting so distressing at times. It’s been tough, but that’s the beauty of 400 metres — you never get an easy time.”
Sophie Hitchon broke the British record twice but narrowly missed out on a medal in the hammer as she finished fourth. Hitchon, 24, managed a best throw of 73.86 metres in the final round, beating the record of 75.65 she had set less than an hour earlier. “I couldn’t have done anything more,” Hitchon said. “Two national records, two PBs in one competition — I loved it out there and it bodes well for the future.”
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Shelayna Oskan-Clarke knocked nearly two seconds off her personal best as she won her semi-final of the 800 metres. Oskan-Clarke, 25, won in 1:58.86 to ensure that Britain have a runner in the final after Lynsey Sharp and Jenny Meadows missed out.
It was a breakthrough run for Oskan-Clarke, whose coach, Ayo Falola, has terminal cancer.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson believes that she has a chance of winning a medal in the long jump final in Beijing today after having to endure a “walk of shame” in the wake of her dramatic blow-out in the heptathlon.
Johnson-Thompson’s chances of a medal in the heptathlon were ended by three no-jumps in the long jump on Sunday, but she was made to compete in the javelin and in the D race of the 800 metres, or she would have risked being excluded from the individual long jump event.
“It was like a walk of shame,” Johnson-Thompson said. “But there was nothing I could do about it. I had to do it because I needed to do the long jump. I didn’t want to kill my legs off and not do well here.”
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There were no fouls yesterday as she jumped 6.79 metres to reach the final, along with Lorraine Ugen and Shara Proctor, her Great Britain team-mates.
“I stayed with my mum for two days,” Johnson-Thompson said. “I just didn’t want to bump into everyone, people asking me if I was OK. When people were nice to me, that’s when I started to get upset. I didn’t want to see anyone or have to talk to anyone. I was still thinking about athletics.”
She has had support from Greg Rutherford and was in the stadium to see him win gold in the long jump on Wednesday.
“Greg has been really helpful and very sweet,” she said. “It was good to see him get that big jump in when it mattered. It gave me a lot of inspiration.
“I didn’t want to go home because then it’s the end, isn’t it? I wanted to put everything that was wrong right again. My body feels quite good, it doesn’t feel like I’ve done a full heptathlon. I’m in a good place.”
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Three to watch today
Women’s long jump final, 12.50pm Three Britons have made the final and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Lorraine Ugen and Shara Proctor are all capable of winning a medal
Women’s 200 metres final, 2pm Dina Asher-Smith has recorded two personal bests on her way to the final. Dafne Schippers could be the one to beat
Women’s 100 metres hurdles semi-final, 12.25; final, 2.35pm After a bronze medal in Moscow two years ago, could this be Tiffany Porter’s year?