Records tumble for Performance Athletes
Two King’s Sport Performance Athletes enjoyed career days running overseas in the past 7 days, setting two personal bests and claiming a one new national record alongside a junior world-leading time in 2015.
On Sunday 24th May first year history undergraduate Dina Asher-Smith became Britain’s quickest female sprinter of all time after breaking the national 100m record at AA Drink FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands. Dina posted a time of 11.02s to lower the previous national record of 11.05s set by Montell Douglas in 2008 on her way to a second place finish behind flying Dutch-woman Dafne Schippers (10.94s).
Dina Asher-Smith's storming 100m at the AA Drink FBK Games, Netherlands
The result mirrors the finish from earlier in the year at the European Indoor Championships, reversing positions from the Great City Games a fortnight earlier where Dina had edged out Schippers over 150m. The King’s Sport Performance Athlete will now turn her attention to a season first 200m race in the Diamond League meeting at Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix on the 7th June.
Also competing in Europe during the week was GB Junior international sprinter Laviai Nielsen who joined her fellow King’s Sport Performance Athlete in celebrating a major personal best over 400m at the Namur Grand Prix, Belgium. Racing mid-week, geography student Laviai took home first place in 52.25s, the fastest time run by a Great Britain Junior athlete for 33 years, and a junior world-leading result in 2015.
Laviai Nielsen leads into the finishing straight during the 400m at the Loughborough International earlier in the month
The race caps a busy month of racing for the Enfield and Haringey club athlete, who started the month representing King’s with a highly successful debut at the BUCS Outdoor Championships in Bedford by taking silver in the women’s 400m final, before winning both the 400m and 4x400m for the GB Junior team at the Loughborough International a two weeks later.
Congratulations to both Dina and Laviai!