7th June 2018

Asher-Smith aiming for another fast Diamond League outing in Oslo

Dina Asher-Smith (coach: John Blackie) returns to Diamond League action at the Bislett Games in Oslo looking to build on her last outing in the USA where she clocked the third fastest time of her career over 100m.

Asher-Smith recorded 11.06 seconds in a highly-competitive field in Eugene, scene of her world junior title in 2014, and heads up the British party alongside Laura Muir (Andy Young) and Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman), who one year ago secured a breakthrough victory.

Adam Gemili (Rana Reider) will open his Diamond League campaign in the 200m in Oslo while Rosie Clarke (David Harmer) will be looking to continue her fine start to the season so far in the 3000m steeplechase.

Asher-Smith, Commonwealth bronze medallist over 200m, is set for a rematch with world indoor champion Murielle Ahoure and Blessing Okagbare who she finished in between in Eugene in sixth in that 100m.

Returning to Eugene for the first time since winning the world junior 100m title, Asher-Smith’s 11.06 effort was her quickest since 2015 and the third fastest of her career, proving she is in fine form as the season gathers pace.

Muir was a somewhat surprise second in the 1500m in Eugene given she had just finished her university veterinary exams and will run over 800m in Oslo against Olympic and world champion Caster Semenya and Olympic and world silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba.

The double world indoor medallist will have her personal best of 1:58. 69 minutes as a target and has a favourable record over South African Semenya having beaten her in their one and only 800m encounter.

Wightman will have fond memories of Oslo having won the 1500m in an impressive new personal best of 3:34.17 at last year’s Diamond League – a performance which propelled him to the British team.

He is set for another mile race having opened his summer campaign following 1500m bronze and an 800m fourth at the Commonwealth Games at the Westminster Mile.

Gemili ran for the first time since withdrawing from the Commonwealth 100m final with injury in Hengelo, clocking 20.45 seconds for fifth on his comeback in the 200m.He will face a strong field in Oslo, including world champion Ramil Guliyev and Jereem Richards, who has second-place finishes from Doha and Eugene.

Steeplechaser Clarke is in fine personal form following last week’s Rome Diamond League where she lowered her personal best to 9:32.08 minutes, that time placing her second in European with a continental championships on the horizon in Berlin in August.

Pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson) will be hoping for a return closer to the 4.64m she cleared in Doha after a best of 4.35m in Eugene. Chris O’Hare (Terrence Mahon) is set for the 1500m a week on from ninth over the same distance at that last Diamond League leg in the Italian capital. European junior champion Jake Heyward (James Thie) joins him in the race.

Anyika Onuora (Reider) ran herself into second in the Power of 10 rankings for the 400m after clocking 51.63 in Hengelo and will race against the one-two from last year’s World Championships Phyllis Francis and Salwa Eid Naser.

Andy Vernon (Nic Bideau), who secured automatic selection for the 10,000m for August’s European Championships after finishing second at the trials in Highgate last month, will test his legs over the distance for the first time since in Oslo.

Julie Rogers (Allen Adamson) will kick off the Brits in action as she runs in the mixed Para 100m having finished fifth over the distance in Rome last week.

The Oslo Diamond League will be broadcast live on Eurosport Two this evening from 19:00 while a one hour highlights show will be shown on BBC One on Saturday at 14:50.