Dina Asher-Smith: not planning to race in 2020

Dina Asher-Smith it taking the pragmatic approach to 2020: she sees too much on the line with the pandemic. A long term approach to one’s career makes a year like 2020 seem like what it is: something to be respected and with all the unknowns, something where risk is to be avoided.

I believe many athletes are taking similar approaches, but some can not afford such a decision due to financial concerns. This is a strange time, and it will get stranger before it gets better.

Dina Asher-Smith, photo by Getty Images / British Athletics

Dina Asher-Smith, Doha 2019, photo by Getty Images / World Athletics

LONDON (GBR): World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith is not planning to race at all in 2020, informs AW. “I’m not in the mood for racing for racing’s sake this year. The stakes are a bit too high. I don’t fancy catching coronavirus at an event. Being a runner, it’s a respiratory disease. It’s a year before the Olympics. I don’t fancy running any risk. So I don’t know if I’m going to run before the end of the season. It’s about making smart decisions at the moment,” she said.

Dina Asher-Smith, 200m Champion, Doha 2019, photo by Getty Images / World Athletics