7msports > Athletics Video > Euro title boosts Asher-Smith's Olympic hopes

Euro title boosts Asher-Smith's Olympic hopes

Tuesday, August 09 2016 by SNTV
  • Team GB sprinter Dina Asher-Smith says her preprations for the Rio Olympics recieved the perfect boost at the recent London Anniversary games and her winning the European Championship title.

    SOUNDBITE: (English) Dina Asher-Smith (on winning the European Championships):

    "Yes that was really really nice becoming European champion. I didn't expect to win that title this year. I really, really didn't. I wasn't even sure if I was going to do the European Championships. John (Blackie, coach) and I, we've very much got quite a solid plan, but that one was always an unsure one. We knew that I was going to be there for the relay, but we didn't know if I was going to do the 200 as well, it depended on what other races we were going to do. But yes, I was so happy and kind of (in) a bit of disbelief as well. I can't believe that I'm European champion, but it's something that has definitely given me a bit of a confidence boost going into Rio and it's something that I'm definitely taking in my stride."

    SOUNDBITE: (English) Dina Asher-Smith (on having confidence after her European win):

    "It's a great title to have, but at the same time there are loads and loads of other girls running faster and equally as fast as I am, so it's a great title (European champion) but it's already happened, it's done and dusted, so it doesn't really guarantee anything going forward."

    SOUNDBITE: (English) Dina Asher-Smith (on the strength of British sprinting):

    "Yes, that's really, really good. We've worked so, so hard on relay throughout the year. We've been practicing since January, so we really, really believe in each other, we trust in each other and obviously our individual events are doing well individually as well, so when we come together as a team, we're hoping that it produces a good performance and we were really, really over the moon to produce a 41.8 (seconds) in London Diamond League. That was really, really special. It was the kind of time that we believed that we could do, but we'd never done it before, so to be able to do it in front of a home crowd in our last meet before Rio was the best way to set ourselves up for the Olympic Games and hopefully, fingers crossed, touch wood, we can do well when it really matters in the Olympics."

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