World champion Dina Asher-Smith puts down Olympic marker with comfortable 200m victory in first outdoor race of the season in Italy
- The world champion dominated the low-key meet in Savona on Thursday
- She crossed in 22.56sec, well ahead of British team-mate Beth Dobbin
- Asher-Smith had not raced since the 2019 world championships in Doha
Dina Asher-Smith stepped up her Olympic preparations with a comfortable 200m win in her first competitive outdoor race since 2019 in Italy on Thursday night.
The world champion dominated the low-key meet in Savona and crossed in 22.56sec, well ahead of British team-mate Beth Dobbin, who was second in 23.06sec.
Barring four club runs at her home track in Bromley in 2020 and two indoor meets earlier this year, Asher-Smith had not raced since the 2019 world championships in Doha.
Asher-Smith blitzed her way to victory in her first outdoor race of the season on Thursday
She easily took the lead inside 20m on the Italian coast and was smooth around the bend as she pulled away to a straightforward win.
The Brit will face a far stiffer challenge in her next outing, when she takes on Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson Herah and Sha’Carri Richardson in a world-class 100m field at the Gateshead Diamond League meet on May 23.
That will offer major clues around her condition and form going into the Tokyo Olympics.
Andrew Pozzi won the 110m hurdles in 13.42sec.