World champion pulls out of Olympic 200m after revealing she has been battling a serious hamstring injury which almost stopped her reaching Tokyo completely

Dina Asher-Smith has decided not the compete over 200m at the Olympics after revealing a major hamstring injury sustained at the British Championships in June almost completely stopped her from competing in Tokyo at all.

The world 200m champion looked out of sorts after failing to qualify for the women’s 100m final in the Japanese capital on Saturday (July 31), running a time of 11.05 in her semi-final which was just tenth-fastest overall.

The reason for her performance became clear shortly afterwards, however, as an emotional Asher-Smith – who had pulled out of Diamond League events in Stockholm and Gateshead citing a hamstring issue in the build-up – revealed the full extent of her heavily disrupted final weeks of Olympic preparation.

“At the trials I actually pulled my hamstring after 60 metres,” said the 25-year-old, who has confirmed she will still race in  the 4x100m relay, in an emotional interview with the BBC. “I tore it really badly and I was initially told in Manchester that it was a rupture, I would require surgery and it would take three to four months to get back.

“Initially we thought I wouldn’t be able to go to Tokyo so we had a statement ready to go but then thankfully I went and got a second opinion. It was [actually] a slight misdiagnosis. Even though there was still quite a major tear, it wasn’t a rupture, my hamstring was still attached, so we turned over every single stone to make sure that I could stand on the line.

“I’ve gone through the whole thing of ‘oh, I can’t go’ and then ‘okay, there’s a chance’.

“I’m so grateful for everybody that has put so much work in so that I could race here. Obviously I was not my normal self, but it’s been quite a journey so I’m really proud.”

Asher-Smith, who won world 100m silver in Doha two years ago, could not hide her frustration and insisted that, before her injury, she had fully expected to challenge for major honours in Tokyo.

“I think the most frustrating thing for me was the fact that I was in really good shape,” she added. “I was in the shape of my life. About six weeks ago, I was very confident I was going to win this entirely, being completely frank, because I knew that every part of my race – my start, my transition and my finish – was better than some of the fastest women in the world. But, you know, when you get the hurdle of like that, suddenly everything rejigs.

“I’m honestly so proud to have come out here and 11.0 off a week’s worth of sprint training because I’ve spent four weeks trying to run again.”

Before the Games, many observers had seen the 200m as Asher-Smith’s best chance of winning Olympic gold, but – after discussions with her long-time coach John Blackie – the decision to withdraw from that event has been taken.

“I am going to pull out [of the 200m],” she said. “When you’re talking about being the world champion and talking about the standard that I want to be at and that I know I’m capable of … there are plenty more championships to come for me.

“Yes, I got a hamstring tear at the most inconvenient time but it doesn’t really change the fact of the calibre of athlete I actually am.

“John’s told me it’s a no and even though that broke my heart because I’m a competitor, he’s wiser than me.”