Daley Thompson hopes Dina Asher-Smith can step into the void created by the retirement on Great Britain’s household athletics names.

With Dame Jess Ennis-Hill, Greg Rutherford and Sir Mo Farah retiring from track and field in recent years – Farah is still competing on the road – there is a vacancy in the public’s athletics consciousness.

Asher-Smith won three European gold medals, including the 100 metres and 200m in world leading times for 2018, in Berlin last week.

“It mostly depends on performance,” two-time Olympic champion Thompson, a Bridgestone ambassador, told Press Association Sport.

Daley Thompson won decathlon gold medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics
Daley Thompson won decathlon gold medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics (PA Images)

“Hopefully she can go on and help fill that gap. But all those mentioned were Olympic champions and world champions.

“She hasn’t reached those heights yet, but she seems to be well on her way.”

Laura Muir won women’s 1500m gold, Zharnel Hughes the men’s 100m title and Matthew Hudson-Smith the men’s 400m crown, but it was Asher-Smith’s performances which attracted the most acclaim.

Thompson was impressed by Asher-Smith in Berlin, but knows major tests await, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Dina Asher-Smith won 100, 200 and 4x100 relay gold medals at the European Championships
Dina Asher-Smith won 100, 200 and 4×100 relay gold medals at the European Championships (Martin Rickett/PA Images)

“She was able to do something few people can do and live up to her billing,” added the 60-year-old, who won the decathlon title at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.

“She got world leads in the 100 and 200. That really does put her on the top shelf of world sprinting at the moment.

“What it does do is reinforces that she’s a really good talent, one of the best in the world, and she may be in with a chance at those two major championships in the next couple of years.”

Thompson was speaking at his pop-up gym on London’s Southbank and also recently climbed to the summit of Snowdon with 60 60-year-olds.

“It was transformative. They inspired me a lot more than I inspired them,” he said.

“At 60 plus, they were prepared to get out and do something.”

– Daley Thompson is an ambassador for Bridgestone’s Worldwide Olympic partnership campaign, Chase Your Dream, No Matter What. For more info and to watch a short film of his recent climb up Snowdon for the campaign, visit www.nomatterwhat.uk.com