For someone whose life is rooted in consistency and routine, Olympic athlete Dina Asher-Smith has experienced some big shifts over the past year. Last October, she left her home in London and relocated across the pond to Austin, Texas – a city she had only spent four days in before uprooting her life. The move came after the 28-year-old sprint champion parted ways with her coach of 19 years, John Blackie, to train under renowned US track and field coach Edrick Floréal ahead of the Paris Olympics. ‘It was a very big shift for me,’ she reveals, while soaking up the sweltering heat as we chat after her training session at her new stomping ground, the University of Texas. ‘I met coach [Floréal], toured the facilities, then went back to London to pack up things. Ten days later I was living here.’
Since arriving in Austin, Asher-Smith has kept herself more focused than ever on becoming an Olympic gold medallist – a dream she has had since she was eight which, right now, feels close to becoming her reality. ‘I’m really focused on making it happen,’ she tells me, and she means it.
In her decade of racing, Asher-Smith has won the World Championships 200m title, along with five other World Championships medals; four European Championships gold medals and two silvers; and two Olympic bronze medals in Rio and Tokyo in the 4x100m relay. As one of Britain’s fastest female athletes, she’s broken countless records, all leading to the ultimate prize. ‘I’m really pushing myself in every single way – physically, mentally, emotionally – to make sure that when that time comes, I’ll be in the best possible position I can be to make that dream come true,’ she says.
Asher-Smith has been training five days a week with Floréal: mornings working out in the gym, afternoons strictly dedicated to improving her technique on the track. ‘My training has been very much about re- evaluating and rethinking a lot of the things I’ve been doing,’ she explains. While she’s no stranger to discipline and dedication there has been the added challenge of being away from her loved ones – although, as an athlete, perseverance comes naturally. ‘I’m very far away from my family and friends, but I choose to look at all the decisions I make as opportunities rather than sacrifices,’ she says. ‘I’m incredibly blessed to have an opportunity to go to the Olympics and potentially place really highly, to represent my country and to break records. I really acknowledge that opportunities like that don’t come to everyone, so it’s something I never lose sight of, even on the hard days.’
To decompress during her time off from training, she’s been roaming the boutiques in South Congress – the fashionable side of town, home to designer brands and local indie stores (where she got her first pair of authentic cowboy boots). ‘When I started going to red carpets I fell in love with the art of fashion and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I love the idea of playing with different colours and silhouettes.’
A newfound hobby has also helped her cope with the pressure of her rigorous training regime. ‘I have become so into pottery and mosaics,’ she tells me, before showing me pictures of a ceramic plate she made in a class. ‘I go for a few hours a week.’
When it comes to the intense mental preparation required for the Olympics, she says, ‘It’s quite funny, most people use sports psychologists to help with nerves or pressure around races but I use it for the opposite. I love racing, I’m someone who lives off adrenaline. What I use a psychologist for is to help me be less excited and calm down, or help me get the right sleep routine before a big race.’
One of the more challenging aspects of her career, she says, has been navigating the media scrutiny that comes with it – be it negative or positive. She stays clear of social media, avoiding all critique and ‘hot takes’. ‘I’m so out of the loop with that kind of stuff but that’s my coping mechanism. I won’t allow myself to see any comments or read any posts. Instagram is deleted on my phone,’ she says.
While it’s something she has grown more comfortable with over time, Asher-Smith admits that when she first came into the public eye, aged 19, the responsibility that came with being a young Black British woman in elite sports, constantly hailed as a role model, was overwhelming at times. ‘It’s weird because of course [a role model] is a nice thing to be called but, at the same time, I thought, “Hang on a minute, I only just left school,”’ she reflects. ‘It’s a time when you’re still trying to figure out your own life and thoughts and opinions, but then, because you’re an athlete, people are suddenly asking you very big and very important questions,’ she says.
In the past, Asher-Smith has also called out the sexist nature of some sports marketing. In 2021, she wrote an essay for online platform The Players’ Tribune critiquing the difference in portrayal of male and female athletes. She argued that while men in sport get advertising deals for being the best at what they do, their female peers are often picked for commercial partnerships based on how ‘aesthetically pleasing’ they are.
Does she think things have improved? ‘I think [brands] want to change, and that has been the biggest change,’ she says. ‘It sounds tiny but that mental shift is the thing that comes before a big change and I hope that’s what’s on the horizon. Earlier this year I did a panel talk with Haley Rosen, founder of Just Women’s Sports, and American snowboarder Chloe Kim, and we were asked which brand is the best for women’s sports and I couldn’t name one. It’s crazy to think, but there isn’t one brand that has attached itself to women’s sports enough to immediately come to mind.’
Asher-Smith is hopeful that productive conversations on the topic will continue, as well as more visibility for women’s sport to inspire a new generation of girls to pursue it professionally. ‘We’ve still got a way to go in making sport accessible as a viable career path for young girls but I’m optimistic about it.’ The Paris Olympics will be the third time Asher-Smith has represented Great Britain, an experience she still finds so surreal it’s hard to wrap her head around it. ‘As athletes, we’re competitive but when we’re in the [Olympic] Village, everyone is just happy to be there. For many, that alone is the goal so there’s this infectious spirit of having “made it” and it’s just such a good time,’ Asher-Smith says. ‘I’m ready for it all.’
Photographs: Lorenzo Cisi Glover.
Styling: Molly Haylor. Hair: Ro Morgan. Make-up: Emma Elizabeth. Nails: Tina Che.
TOP IMAGE Dina wears: Swoosh sports bra, £40, Nike; trousers, price on request, Ahluwalia; custom necklace, £1,305, Roxanne First; Classic Fusion Orlinski Sky blue 45mm watch, £86,600, Hublot
SECOND IMAGE Dina wears: Top and skirt, both price on request, Versace; chain necklace, £45, and custom pendants, £29 each, all Abbott Lyon; Classic Fusion King Gold 33mm watch, £23,100, Hublot