Dina Asher-Smith suffers mystery leg injury, Great Britain men claim bronze at World Athletics Championships
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Updated 24/07/2022 at 08:44 GMT
Team England will be sweating over the fitness of Dina Asher-Smith after she pulled up sharply during the 4x100 relay race at the World Athletic Championships, subsequently costing Great Britain a chance of a podium finish. There was better luck for the revanped men's team, who claimed a bronze medal.
Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain reacts to missing out on a place in the final after the 100m semi finals for women during the Athletics competition at the Olympic Stadium at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games
Image credit: Getty Images
Dina Asher-Smith pulled up sharply during the 4x100 relay race at the World Championships, costing Great Britain’s women a shot at a medal – but there was better luck for the men who claimed bronze.
Asher-Smith is now a doubt for the Commonwealth Games after she suffered a mystery leg injury around the final bend and although she bravely managed to hobble the final 15m to pass the baton to Daryll Neita, Great Britain’s chance of a podium place was gone.
As a result, Great Britain fell rapidly down to eighth, but Neita ran a blistering 9.57 on the anchor leg to at least salvage sixth place.
Asher-Smith has been selected to represent the England team at the Commonwealth Games, which starts next week. Her injury comes just days after the 26-year-old won 200m bronze.
"I feel confused because I felt fine coming in, but when I was going round the bend my legs just stopped corresponding with me," Asher-Smith told BBC Sport.
"I hope it is nothing serious as I have a lot more races to do this year. I feel awful because we were running well."
At the front of the race, the United States claimed a memorable victory over an all-star Jamaican team – containing Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and world 200m champion Shericka Jackson - by just four hundredths of a second.
A stunning second leg from Abby Steiner laid the foundations before Twanisha Terry held off Jackson in a thrilling finale, as Germany took bronze.
Meanwhile, there was joy for Great Britain in the men’s race, as the revamped team of Jona Efoloko, Reece Prescod, Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake won bronze in 37.83.
"We have shown we are serial medallists in the relay," said Mitchell-Blake, who is captain of the British team in Eugene.
"We get a medal every year, it's becoming normalised and under appreciated.
"Ultimately the aim is to come away from the next world championships with a gold and then go onto Paris 2024. It is a stepping stone, we will get better because we have to raise our game.
"It's fuel for the fire going forward. We cannot control the past, we can control the present and that dictates the future and that's what we've got to focus on."
Canada caused an upset by taking gold by 0.07 seconds, with American Elijah Hall falling as he handed the baton to Marvin Bracy, allowing Andre De Grasse to hold on in 37.48.
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