'I’m not in the mood for racing for racing’s sake' - Dina Asher-Smith may miss the season

The Diamond League resumes soon, but the 200m world champion does not necessarily expect to compete there.

“If you’re taking your emotions out of the moment and the whole ‘I want to compete during coronavirus to show it isn’t going to beat me', if you remove yourself from that situation, the best thing to do is to prepare for the long haul - because we’re going to have a very intense four years, so it’s better to build that foundation. That’s what I’d prefer to do. But my coach (John Blackie) might change his mind.

“It also comes down to how safe the races are. I’m not in the mood for racing for racing’s sake this year. The stakes are a bit too high. I don’t fancy catching coronavirus at an event.

“Being a runner, it’s a respiratory disease, it’s a year before the Olympics. I don’t fancy running any risk. So I don’t know if I’m going to run before the end of the season. It’s about making smart decisions at the moment.”

The 24-year-old says she has used her time off wisely, focusing on marginal gains.

“I’ve had the opportunity to review everything from psychology to nutrition to how I do things on the business side to all my training methods as well. We’ve used this period to just come out stronger and push into the next phase, which is not just the Olympics but also the next world championships, the Commonwealth Games, two European Championships and another Olympics, all before 2024.

"We’ve taken stock to make sure we’re strong enough to cope.”

The 24-year-old, the first British woman to win a major sprint title, was preparing for a 100m, 200m and relay treble at Tokyo 2020 before Covid-19 intervened.