British Sprinters Miss Out on Olympic Podium

Asher-Smith and Neita narrowly miss medals in the 200m final

British sprinters Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita came tantalizingly close to securing Olympic medals in the women’s 200m final at the Paris Games. However, they ultimately finished just outside the podium positions, with Asher-Smith placing fourth and Neita crossing the line fifth.

The race was dominated by American Gabby Thomas, who stormed to gold in a time of 21.83 seconds. Neita, who had also narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the 100m final by four-hundredths of a second, came within three-hundredths of a second of making the podium, finishing in 22.23 seconds.

Asher-Smith, who was aiming to become the first British woman to win an Olympic sprint medal in 64 years, also had a strong performance, clocking 22.22 seconds. However, it was not enough to secure a medal, as she finished just behind St Lucia’s Julien Alfred (22.08) and American Brittany Brown (22.20), who claimed silver and bronze respectively.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on individual medals, both Asher-Smith and Neita will have the opportunity to compete in the women’s 4x100m relay, where they will hope to contribute to a British medal.

Meanwhile, Team GB’s Matthew Hudson-Smith cruised to victory in his 400m semi-final, setting up a potential gold medal showdown in the final. However, Charlie Dobson missed out on a qualifying position, finishing fourth in his semi-final.

In other athletics action, Jacob Fincham-Dukes finished fifth in the men’s long jump final, while Elizabeth Bird placed seventh in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final. Laviai Nielsen suffered heartbreak in the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals, falling after clipping the final barrier.

The Paris Games continue with more athletics action, as well as competitions in other sports, including swimming, gymnastics, and cycling.