World 200m champion is keen to give the 60m a “genuine attack” as she gets ready to race indoors for the first time in three years

As Dina Asher-Smith prepares for her first international race in 15 months, the world 200m champion is relishing the opportunity to put her hard work during a disrupted year into practice.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, AW’s current cover star explained how she is excited to give the 60m a “genuine attack” in her first indoor season in three years, and it could come to a crescendo at the European Indoor Championships.

“I’m honestly so excited to race,” said Asher-Smith. “I did three home meets in 2020, which was not the year that any of us were expecting. My last international overseas race was at the [2019] world championships in Qatar, so I am unbelievably excited to get out there and honestly, not just do my job, but do what I am passionate about.

“I haven’t done the 60m since 2018 because mainly I have always been trying to train through and really focus on the outdoor season. I am honestly really excited to give it a genuine attack this year. I have absolutely no idea what I can do. It has been a very long time since, in earnest, I’ve done a 60m season. I’m really excited to go out there and try and run quickly and hopefully be successful throughout the season.”

READ MORE: Exclusive Dina Asher-Smith interview

Asher-Smith equalled the British 60m record with her European indoor silver medal-winning time of 7.08 in 2015 and matched that mark when racing at her last indoor competition in Glasgow in 2018.

The UK record was improved to 7.06 by Asha Philip when winning her European indoor title in 2017 and Philip will also be among those in action in Karlsruhe.

“It will be a really good race,” added Asher-Smith. “I am super excited to get out and compete against some of the other fastest women in the world over the 60m. I want to have fun and hopefully put into practice what I’ve been working really hard at for the past year and a bit.”

After Karlsruhe, the 25-year-old is set to race in Düsseldorf on Sunday (January 31) and Liévin on February 9.

She has also not ruled out targeting the European Indoors in Toruń in Poland in March alongside some fast times.

“I would love to go to the European Indoors,” she said. “This year is very unique so despite whatever my plans may be, we are all going to have to be flexible anyway.

“I haven’t done a championships indoors since 2016, over a whole Olympic cycle, so I am a completely different athlete now and it would be really fun to do a 60m championships.

“Obviously I would love to get the British record,” she added. “It would be great, but we’ll see because ultimately it has been a strange year, we have had a big gap in racing. We’re going to look to go out there and perform as well as we can and if that comes with some really fast amazing opportunities and performances then we are all happy.”

Click here for a preview guide to the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe.