ina Asher-Smith has promised to bounce back from her slow start to 2022 to once again prove her championship credentials in Eugene.
Asher-Smith has run a record of 10.98 seconds in the 100m and 22.27m in the 200m, taking 29th and 18th place in the world this season and slightly slower than her previous pace. years.
But the 200m world champion and 100m silver medalist from Doha two years ago is set to return at her best in the World Athletics Championships when her race kicks off this weekend.
“Running fast in championships is what I plan to do,” she said. “Performing well on the track is great, performing well early in the season and performing well all year round is great. But I’ve been very clear that we have a peak for these three championships and a six-week peak is hard to sustain. You have to worry at the last minute.”
In Doha she completed a sprint course with her first world title and the silver in the 100 meters, a medal she equaled in the 4×100 meter relay.
But she said she was in better shape physically and mentally three years later. “I’m much happier getting into this than I was out of Doha for a few weeks,” she said. “I’m going in injury free, before Doha I wasn’t. I was actually quite stressed in the custody camp in Dubai, but I am happy now.”
Asher-Smith took Diamond League wins in Birmingham and Stockholm this season, was stunned by compatriot Darryl Neita at the British Athletics Championships last month and blamed “a rough few months”.
The pair have been racing since the age of 11, with Asher-Smith generally getting the better of Neita. Speaking about her team-mate and rival, she said: “She has done really well, she was in really good shape, she has really improved over the years. I don’t like to lose, so of course I wasn’t happy to lose trials.”