I've changed a lot," says Dina Asher-Smith as she looks back at six dizzying months that have seen her decamp 5,000 miles from the Garden of England to the Lone Star state, find herself off the track, and rediscover her mojo on it.
"I went to a new coach, a new group, and a new philosophy. And part of the transformation is that I'm far more comfortable with letting people in." And with those words, Britain's greatest female sprinter opens the door to her new life in Texas for the first time. It's one that involves playing Top Golf and taking up pottery, learning to relax away from the incessant pressures of low-level fame, and priming her body for the Paris 2024 Olympics, which begin in 100 days' time.
"I'm loving it in Austin and I've been very spoiled with the sunshine," she says. "I feel like everybody laughs at me when I talk about the sun. But, as a Brit, it changes everything."
With the move has come a willingness to try new things and to be herself again - including regular pottery lessons. She downplays her skill - but a photo of one of her mugs suggests she is pretty good.
"I wanted to learn a new skill, something creative that stimulated my mind in a different way," she says. "And I'm loving it. I go once or twice a week, and I'm chatting to people, being bad at stuff, watching things collapse, and trying again.
I'm still not very good at putting the handles on. But I've been posting it to my close friends and teammates on Instagram. And they've all been asking: 'Can you bring me back a mug?""
This story is from the April 17, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the April 17, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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