Daley Thompson hopes Dina Asher-Smith can step into the void created by the retirement on Great Britain’s household athletics names.
With Dame Jess Ennis-Hill, Greg Rutherford and Sir Mo Farah retiring from track and field in recent years – Farah is still competing on the road – there is a vacancy in the public’s athletics consciousness.
Asher-Smith won three European gold medals, including the 100 metres and 200m in world leading times for 2018, in Berlin last week.
“It mostly depends on performance,” two-time Olympic champion Thompson, a Bridgestone ambassador, told Press Association Sport.
“She hasn’t reached those heights yet, but she seems to be well on her way.”
Laura Muir won women’s 1500m gold, Zharnel Hughes the men’s 100m title and Matthew Hudson-Smith the men’s 400m crown, but it was Asher-Smith’s performances which attracted the most acclaim.
Thompson was impressed by Asher-Smith in Berlin, but knows major tests await, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“She got world leads in the 100 and 200. That really does put her on the top shelf of world sprinting at the moment.
“What it does do is reinforces that she’s a really good talent, one of the best in the world, and she may be in with a chance at those two major championships in the next couple of years.”
Having a great day at my pop-up gym on London’s Southbank, I’m here too 6, come try my circuit! #NoMatterWhat pic.twitter.com/RZzeSHQS2k
— Daley Thompson (@Daley_thompson) August 14, 2018
Thompson was speaking at his pop-up gym on London’s Southbank and also recently climbed to the summit of Snowdon with 60 60-year-olds.
“It was transformative. They inspired me a lot more than I inspired them,” he said.
“At 60 plus, they were prepared to get out and do something.”
– Daley Thompson is an ambassador for Bridgestone’s Worldwide Olympic partnership campaign, Chase Your Dream, No Matter What. For more info and to watch a short film of his recent climb up Snowdon for the campaign, visit www.nomatterwhat.uk.com
