Dina Asher-Smith to compete in 60m event at Millrose Games 2024 alongside Julien Alfred, English Gardner and others
Dina Asher-Smith is set to take part in the 116th Millrose Games, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, at the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory in New York on February 11.
Also competing at the event is St. Lucia's Julien Alfred. The three-time individual NCAA Division I champion is stepping into her first full professional season after dominating the US collegiate circuit last year.
Last year, Alfred won seven NCAA titles and set the 60m collegiate record. Her achievements saw her clinch The Bowerman, the highest annual accolade given to the year's best student-athlete in American collegiate track and field.
Asher-Smith, on the other hand, is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and the 2019 world champion in the 200m. She has five World Championships medals, besides British records in the 60m, 100m, and 200m.
Also competing at the upcoming Millrose Games are Tamari Davis (4x100m gold medal winner at the Worlds), English Gardner and Briana Williams (4x100m Olympic gold medallists), Shashalee Forbes (4x100m Olympic silver medallist), Marybeth Sant-Price (60m bronze medallist at the World Indoor Championships), and Celera Barnes (4x100m relay NACAC champion).
Dina Asher-Smith swaps Eldrick Floreal for John Blackie, remains upbeat heading into 2024 Paris Olympics
Later last year, Dina Asher-Smith announced that she parted ways with her coach John Blackie, bringing an end to their 19-year relationship.
The British sprinter endured a disappointing 2023 season, finishing eighth in the 100m and seventh in the 200m at the World Athletics Championships. With the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon, Asher-Smith split with Blackie and will instead train under the guidance of Eldrick Floreal in Texas, USA.
On the sidelines of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the 28-year-old told reporters that she could not perform at her best as she was battling an undisclosed physical issue throughout the event.
"I was going great and then I just couldn't feel anything below my waist. That's why I was able to go and run the (100m) final because I wasn't in pain but neurally I didn't have any control," she said.
Despite the below-par results, she stated that her confidence remained high heading into the Paris Olympics.
"It was such a shame because I really was on the way to something quite good. But I think it gave me quite a bit of self-confidence, how I was running going into it and how I felt and despite the fact that I got halfway through the 100m. I’m taking a lot from that and pushing into Paris that I can be very much on top of the podium," she added.