Athletics: Asher-Smith Splits With Coach After 19 Years

British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith has split with her long-time coach John Blackie nine months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Asher-Smith, 27, who won 100m bronze at the 2021 Games in Tokyo, had been coached by Blackie since she was eight.

She will now be guided by Edrick Floreal and based in Austin, Texas.

It comes after disappointing results at this year’s World Championships, where Asher-Smith finished eighth in the 100m final and seventh in the 200m.

She announced her change of coach with an emotional statement on her Instagram page.

“After 19 years, John Blackie and I have ended our coach-athlete partnership,” Asher-Smith said. “My life changed by meeting him and I will forever be grateful to him.

“His intellect, patience and dedication has taken me from an energetic eight-year-old to a world champion with over 20 international medals and many Olympics, World, Commonwealth and European finals.

“John and I will, of course, remain close friends.

“Thank you to John and thank you to all my team in London whose talents and hard work have helped me realise so many dreams to date.

“My next chapter will be led by Edrick Floreal based out of Austin, Texas. I’m very excited to join his talented training group as we head to Paris 2024.”

Under Blackie, Asher-Smith established herself as Britain’s pre-eminent female sprinter and one of the best in the world.

She secured 100m bronze medals at the most recent two Olympics – in Rio 2016 and in Tokyo five years later – and won 200m gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

That was her last major championship title, while she missed out on world 100m bronze in 2022 by 0.02 seconds.

After disappointment at this year’s Worlds in Budapest, Asher-Smith has opted to make a change in a bid to boost her hopes of a third Olympic medal.

“I’m almost in disbelief. I know myself and I know that I feel good. I came here for a new personal best,” she said following the 100m final in Budapest.

“I know I’m in great shape. It doesn’t really happen to me – that’s why I’m so surprised.”