Dina Asher-Smith is OUT of the 100m final after finishing third in her semi-final and failing to secure a fastest losers spot… but fellow Brit Daryll Neita will appear in final after qualifying by ONE THOUSANDTH of a second
Dina Asher-Smith crashed out of the 100m semi-finals in a huge upset in Tokyo on Saturday evening.
The leading lady of British athletics has appeared to be struggling for fitness since tweaking her hamstring earlier this month and managed only a third-placed finish in 11.05sec.
That left her relying on being one of two fastest losers to scrape into the final but in a twist of fate the final spot was taken by her British team-mate Darryl Neita.
Dina Asher-Smith faced an anxious wait to see if she made the final after finishing third
Asher-Smith finished behind Elaine Thompson-Herah and Ajla del Ponte in her semi-final
Daryll Neita finished third in her semi-final and beat Asher-Smith to the fastest loser place
It is a huge setback for the 25-year-old who arrived in Japan with hopes of becoming Britain’s first Olympic sprint medallist since 1960.
Now there are serious questions over whether she be competitive in the 200m, at which she is world champion.
While she dismissed concerns over her ‘grumpy hamstring’ ahead of the Games, it is understood she was still receiving treatment through the week, as indicated by the fast she has been well off her pace and that of the field.
She clocked only 11.07sec on a quick track in her heat and could manage only a tiny improvement when it mattered on Saturday.
Neita made the final by just one thousandth of a second ahead of Asher-Smith’s time
Asher-Smith will now set her sights on getting ready for her favoured 200m event
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