Edoburun and Asher-smith delivers when it matters ahead of the Iaaf World Championships in Doha

Edoburun defies the odds to clinch British 100m gold, while Asher-Smith lowers her own championship record with 10.96 for 100m gold

Dina Asher-Smith’s (John Blackie, Blackheath & Bromley) outstanding 10.96 championship record run to win gold in the women’s 100m headlined a stellar first day of Muller British Athletics Championships action at a sunny but windy Alexander Stadium.

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Jeopardy is always at the heart of the national championships and 2019 was no different as Ojie Edoburun clinched British 100m gold for his first-ever senior title.

The athlete that many had turned out to see, Asher-Smith didn’t disappoint when it came to stepping on the start-line, with a sublime semi-final run of 11.03 into a notable headwind laying down the marker for what was to come.

In the final, a characteristically explosive start saw her put metres between her and the rest of the field, with a dip for the line and gold seeing the clock stop first at 11.03, before then correcting itself and rounding down to 10.96, a time that revised the championship record set last year by 0.01 of a second.

Post-race Asher-Smith said:

“I’m happy to have got the win and lower the championship record considering the headwinds. 11.03 to 10.97s is a big drop, normally it’s a couple of hundredths but I’m not complaining.

“When you have two rounds in a day, you run them like they’re world championships semis and finals. You have to run for each and every place.”

Shortly after Asher-Smith’s heroics, an impassioned performance from Ojie Edoburun in the men’s 100m won him the British title and automatic selection for the World Championships in Doha by mere thousandths of a second.

Fending off favourite Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet) and sub-10 men Adam Gemili (Rana Reider, Blackheath & Bromley) and CJ Ujah (Jonas Dodoo, Enfield & Haringey), Edoburun’s explosive start and sheer determination to hold on to the title saw him dip for gold millimetres ahead of the aforementioned duo.

“I felt it was mine for the taking and I knew that,” said Edoburun.

“I kept composed, felt a bit of cramp towards the end but held my own and couldn’t care less because I’ve got the medal and that’s the important thing.”

It was the first time ever that the three medallists all recorded the same time, with 10.18 being awarded to the silver medallist Gemili and the bronze medallist Hughes.