Dina Asher-Smith stormed to a championship record of 22.14 seconds to retain her British 200m title at the UK Championships in Birmingham on Sunday. The performance, aided by a 1.9m/s tailwind, marked her fastest time since 2022 and would have secured an Olympic podium place last summer.
Speaking after the race, Asher-Smith revealed that a disappointing run at the Eugene Diamond League four weeks ago prompted a major change: she returned to London from Texas, where she had been training under coach Edrick Floréal since late 2023. While she declined to specify what was not working, she emphasised the importance of being in a supportive environment. 'I need to be happy, free and my fullest, most vibrant self,' she said. 'I’ve been really happy with these last two races because I’ve been able to be me and run really fast.'
The 200m final was a tight contest, with Asher-Smith edging out Amy Hunt, who also clocked 22.14 but settled for silver. Daryll Neita took bronze. Zharnel Hughes added the 200m title to his 100m crown, setting a championship record of 19.90 seconds. Hughes dedicated his wins to his aunt, whose funeral he missed to compete.
In the women’s 800m, Georgia Hunter Bell won in 1 minute 59.53 seconds, adding to her 1500m victory. The Olympic bronze medallist now faces a decision on whether to contest both distances at the Tokyo world championships. 'It is head over heart,' she said. 'How cool would it be to follow in the footsteps of Seb Coe, Kelly Holmes, Steve Cram?' Hunter Bell’s win came in the absence of Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, who is due to return from injury this month.
Other notable winners included Josh Kerr, who cruised to the 5000m title, and Amber Anning and Charlie Dobson, who took the 400m crowns. Max Burgin won the 800m, Morgan Lake claimed the high jump, and Jazmin Sawyers secured long jump gold in her comeback from an achilles injury.
