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Tokyo 2020: Dina Asher-Smith relishing pressure of Olympics

Tokyo 2020: Dina Asher-Smith relishing pressure of Olympics
© Reuters
The Team GB star starts her Games campaign in the 100m heats on Friday in Tokyo.

Dina Asher-Smith is relishing her chance to make British Olympic history.

The fearless Team GB star begins her Games campaign in the 100m heats in Tokyo on Friday.

She is bidding to become the first British woman to win an individual sprint medal since Dorothy Hyman claimed 100m silver and 200m bronze in 1960.

Jamaica's double 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce remains favourite for the title but Asher-Smith is ready.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is Dina Asher-Smith's biggest rival
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is Dina Asher-Smith's biggest rival (Mike Egerton/PA)

The world 200m champion said: "Scary, what's scary? At Heathrow loads of the BA people said: 'Are you nervous?' I was like: 'No, what is there to be nervous about?'

"Obviously this is on a different scale but I line up for a race and I've done that since I was eight years old and I'm very, very good at it.

"Obviously the stakes change, the mechanics change, the precision of it changes but fundamentally this is something I do week in, week out.

"There's absolutely nothing to be scared of. I love a show, I love a stage, I love putting together a great performance when it matters, when the lights are really on. That's just part of me.

"I love championships. My coach always tells me to quell my excitement throughout the season until the championships then let it loose. He told me I can get excited so you'll see more energy from me now."

The 25-year-old also runs in the 200m and 4x100m relay next week after Saturday's 100m final.

Asher-Smith beat Fraser-Pryce in the Diamond League in Gateshead in May before the Jamaican clocked 10.63 seconds in Kingston last month to become the second fastest woman in history.

Yet Asher-Smith, the double European champion, remains unfazed by her rival's times.

Dina Asher-Smith gets her campaign in Tokyo under way on Friday
Dina Asher-Smith gets her campaign in Tokyo under way on Friday (Martin Rickett/PA)

"It's not daunting or a motivator, simply because I'm inside my own body. I know what I can do," she said.

"To me it's immaterial what people run around you because a championship is a completely different ball game.

"The reason why we all love championships is because you honestly don't know what's going to happen.

"Everybody has their predictions written down on paper, but we don't run on paper, we run on the track. People always run fast – that's the sport. But it's the championships that really matter."

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Helen Glover and Polly Swann in action for Team GB on July 24, 2021
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Tokyo 2020: Key events to look forward to on day six of the Olympics
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Olympic medal table header
CountryGold medalSilver MedalBronze MedalT
ChinaChina32211669
United StatesUnited States25292276
JapanJapan2071239
AustraliaAustralia1541635
Great BritainGreat Britain14181547
Today's Olympic highlights header

Wednesday's key events


SKATEBOARDING
· Team GB starlet Sky Brown - aged just 13 - takes part in the women's park event and has a realistic chance of picking up a medal too. Bombette Martin is Britain's other representative, while hosts Japan are among the favourites for gold (1am)

HOCKEY
· Great Britain's women have more history in their sights heading into their semi-final against Netherlands - the team they beat in the 2016 gold medal match (2.30am)

ATHLETICS
· The men's 400m hurdles final on Tuesday will go down as one of the greatest Olympic races of all time, and the women will attempt to emulate that, with new world record holder Sydney McLaughlin of USA and Netherlands' Femke Bol the favourites for gold (3.30am)
· Nick Miller is Britain's representative in the men's hammer throw final (12.15pm)
· The men's 800m final could be a wide-open affair (1.05pm)
· A thrilling men's 200m final is in store as the likes of Andre de Grasse, Noah Lyles and 17-year-old sensation Erriyon Knighton bid to succeed Usain Bolt as Olympic champion (1.55pm)

SAILING
· After a medal-laden day on the water on Tuesday, Great Britain will be looking for more success, starting with Luke Patience and Chris Grube in the men's 470-class medal race (6.33am)
· Team GB also have medal hopes in the women's event, with defending champion Hannah Mills looking to retain her crown alongside new teammate Eilidh McIntyre (7.33am)

BOXING
· Already guaranteed at least a bronze, Great Britain's Frazer Clarke faces Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov in the men's super heavyweight with a place in the gold medal bout up for grabs (7.03am)
· Ben Whittaker is also guaranteed a medal, but will look to ensure that is either gold or silver as he takes on Cuba's Arlen Lopez in the light heavyweight final (7.35am)

CYCLING
· World records have been tumbling in the velodrome, and another could go in the men's team pursuit final as Italy - new world record holders themselves - face Denmark (10.06am)

EQUESTRIAN
· Three Brits have made into into the final of the men's jumping individual final, including fastest qualifier Ben Maher, who will bid to inherit compatriot Nick Skelton's Olympic crown (11am)

> Today's schedule in full
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