Dina Asher-Smith had high hopes heading to Japan in 2021.
After collecting two silvers in the 4x100m relay and 100m and a gold in the 200m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she was comfortably in contention for a medal.
As it transpired, a hamstring injury would hamper any chances of a podium finish in the 100m, which led to her pulling out of the 200m soon after.
A bronze for Great Britain in the 4x100m relay was some consolation in a games that was largely frustrating when coupled with the fact that had an unprecedented global pandemic not paused Olympic proceedings until the following year, more glittering results were a near certainty.
Now, travelling to France, Asher-Smith is returning to her best and seeking to right the wrongs of three years prior.
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Background
Born in Orpington, Bromley, Dina Asher-Smith took up running aged eight, initially beginning in cross-country before finding sprinting.
Aged 13, she would set a world's best time in the 300m (39.16) and would go on to break records at 60m and 200m as a teenager. In the latter, she would claim Under 15 (2010), U17 (2011) and U20 (2013) titles in the English Schools Championships.
The talent she clearly possessed led to a spot at the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2011 where she would take home her first international golds in the 200m and as part of the 4x100m relay team.
First place finishes in the same events two years later at the European Junior Championships further built on this. Aged 17, Asher-Smith was the youngest member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, where she won a bronze in the 4x100m.
The move into senior athletics was met with similar success. Particularly in terms of setting new national records.
Two years on from her debut on the world stage, Asher-Smith became the fastest woman in British history, smashing records in the 200m, 4x100m and 100m - becoming the first female athlete from Britain to run under the 11-second barrier.
Fourth and fifth in the 200m and 4x100m relay at that year's World Championships was followed up with gold and silver respectively at the European Championships in Amsterdam the following year.
Thus far, it was a journey filled with promise for the future and Rio de Janeiro was the backdrop as Asher-Smith made her Olympic Games debut in 2016. Another bronze in the relay was the end product.
Enthusiasm continued into 2017, especially as the World Championships were heading to Asher-Smith's hometown of London.
However, she suffered a major setback in February after breaking her foot in training. "Comeback starts now," she tweeted almost immediately. Upon restarting running in June, few may have suspected she would be fit enough to compete at the Worlds a mere two months away.
Come August, she would record a season's best time in the 200m final, coming 0.07 seconds off a third place. Combined with a silver in the relay, now had a stunning display of fortitude to add to a skillset that was seemingly growing year-on-year.
Retaining her European title in the 200m in Berlin was part of a triple threat of golds along with the 4x100m and a first senior 100m victory.
It was a crucial step which directly fed into what would become her breakout year - 2019.
Doha hosted to the World Championships as Asher-Smith now had British hopes in women's track parallel to those of the United States and Jamaica.
Two silvers in the relay and 100m - only bettered by the great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - was crowned by a barnstorming performance in the 200m, claiming her inaugural gold in worldwide competition and national records in both the 100m (10.83) and 200m (21.88).
Further cementing her place as the fastest British woman in history, Asher-Smith's profile grew rapidly. A Barbie doll created in her likeness and a cameo in Dave's music video for 'Black' signifying her wider status as a role model and symbol of excellence.
As established, should world health affairs had played out differently then a solo medal at Tokyo was on the cards. The ill-timed hamstring tear (something she pushed through to even reach the starting blocks) meant this would largely be a games to forget.
The next two years proved to be equally tricky as more injuries thwarted any immediate bounce back.
An uncharacteristically barren run of two medals in eight events (despite some still consistent times) across the European and World Championships in 2022 and 2023 saw Asher-Smith having to change things in the search for her best form.
In October of 2023, she split with John Blackie, her coach of, at that point, nineteen years.
"It was a decision I think both of us came to. I think John came to it before I did," she told Eurosport. "There was some bits I needed to slot in in order to be successful in Paris. It hasn't been a easy choice."
She hopped across the pond to work under coach Edrick Floréal, who has previously coached Olympic gold winners Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
"In terms of fitness and cardio, I'm good. I feel like I have that base already, but in terms of the mechanics and technical perspective I'm learning a lot.
"Change and trying something [different] can be scary, but I'm not scared being scared."
The alteration has so far been fruitful. Two gold medals in June's European Championships in the 4x100m and 100m means Asher-Smith is travelling to Paris in ideal condition.
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Olympic Qualifying
Asher-Smith sealed a spot in Team GB by winning the 200m event in the UK Athletics Championships last month.
She set a new championship record in the process with a 22.18 seconds finish, breaking the previous time held by Daryll Neita, who also earned a place in Paris by winning the 100m.
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Event Information
Individually Asher-Smith will be competing in the 100m and 200m at Paris 2024. And in both events she faces stiff competition.
In the 100m, double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah will not be able to make it a Usian Bolt-esque three in a row as an achilles issue has ruled her out of the games.
Although other Jamaican athletes Shericka Jackson, Tia Clayton and Fraser-Pryce - making her final Olympic appearance - remain fierce opponents.
Ivory Coast's Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith and the United States' Sha'Carri Richardson are other names to be watchful of. While St Lucia's Julien Alfred, who trains alongside Asher-Smith in Texas, and Poland's Ewa Swoboda are also outside rivals.
In the 200m, Jackson, Lou-Smith and Alfred are also competing. Threats to Asher-Smith's medal ambitions also come through the USA's Brittany Brown and Gabrielle Thomas and Great Britain teammate Neita.
The 100m begins on August 3rd and concludes the next day. The 200m starts on August 4th and finishes on August 6th.
Asher-Smith is also part of the women's 4x100m relay squad and will likely be one of the four selected.
The other six athletes in contention for the relay are Daryll Neita, Desiree Henry, Amy Hunt, Imani-Lara Lansiquot and Bianca Williams. With a strong group to choose from, Great Britain have a good chance of attaining a third consecutive medal in this event.
The 4x100m will begin on August 8th and conclude August 9th.
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Prediction
With such a competitive field in each event, it is difficult to outright pick Asher-Smith for a gold. A first podium at the Olympic Games though is well within possibility.
However, she herself is not weighed down by the goal of a medal this summer, "You have to go into everything with a clean slate."
"Some people are very motivated by previous frustrations. But I’m somebody who just needs to feel free and light and joyful to run fast. That’s my mentality," she told The Guardian. "I’m just really excited to get out there and race."
Now 28 years of age, Asher-Smith is not in an especially big hurry achieve her Olympic aims (as 37-year-old Fraser-Pryce could attest to), but she is around the median of physical performance and so this may be her greatest opportunity to do so.
The 200m is perhaps her best bet with there being slightly tougher competition in the 100m. The absence of Thompson-Herah means the field is very open in both regards, but Asher-Smith will certainly be amongst the top contenders.
Keeping her consistency should be enough to put her on the verge of making history once again.
