Bronze for Dina Asher-Smith in 200m final as Shericka Jackson goes supersonic

As Shericka Jackson went supersonic in one of the greatest displays in sprinting history, Dina Asher-Smith was finding inspiration from the heavens to claim a stunning bronze here in Eugene.

Stunning because, as Asher-Smith revealed afterwards, she had been knocked sideways by the death of her cherished 92-year-old grandmother Sislyn Asher, just two months ago. And here she was, after a season of doubts and heartache, finding immense grit and resolve to win yet another major medal.

Far ahead of her was Jackson, who ran an extraordinary 21.45s – the second fastest time in history behind only Florence Griffiths-Joyner – to claim gold, with her Jamaican compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce taking silver in 21.81s to claim the 21st global medal of her career.

But Asher-Smith was rightly delighted at her medal, which came in 22.02s, and immediately dedicated her win to her grandmother, who was part of the Windrush generation having come from Trinidad after the second world war to work in an NHS hospital in Lewisham.

And as Asher-Smith revealed afterwards, Sislyn not only looked like her – but she also liked to claim she sprinted like her too.

“We looked very similar, same mannerisms, birthdays two days apart, my whole life we always had a joint birthday,” she said. “She’d like to claim she was a sprinter, 100%. If you were to ever ask she’d say, ‘it’s all from me’.

“I absolutely know she’d want me to stand there with my head held high,” she added. “She’s been giving me great signs all season. Some things have happened and I’ve been like ‘thank you grandma, thank you’, because I know she’s sending me these good vibes.”

But the biggest vibrations on the night came from the Puma spikes of Jackson as she proved herself the fastest