Elaine Thompson suffered An Achilles Injury, So No Performance in This Trail…

Despite a very bad start in which the field moved away at the second time of asking – a situation made worse by the flyer produced by the French runner to her left – Asher-Smith stayed composed and disciplined to move through and finish convincingly.

Since winning the global 200m title in 2019, her upward trajectory has stagnated due to a series of injuries, and she has failed to regain her former scintillating form. But in an Olympic year, this was the perfect declaration of intent.

After winning gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in Berlin, Asher-Smith was disappointed to lose all three championships in Munich 2022. But after breaking ways with her long-term coach, John Blackie.

Speaking to European Athletics earlier this year, she said: “I am really excited for these Europeans, I have big goals for myself, very big aspirations of what I want to run, especially when I run the 100m and how I want to run and how I want to win it.”

Tick that box. Onwards to Paris.

Afterwards she acknowledged that she had won despite her start. “I am in really great shape, I feel really good. I knew I had this in me. I had a bad start – championships! I can definitely run faster than that.

“This is a progression towards the Olympic Games. I am glad to be in this shape after some months of a new set-up, it is really hard to achieve. I moved to Austin, Texas. I have been really working on my top end speed and I could compensate for the bad start. I did, that was a bit hairy, just a little bit. But overall I am happy.”