Schedule may deny Dina Asher-Smith shot at CWG gold

The pile-up of championships in 2022 could rob the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham of some of its biggest stars and will make it impossible for Dina Asher-Smith to attempt a unique treble, Kelly Sotherton has warned. Sotherton, three-times an Olympic medallist and the new track and field leader for Team England, is still hopeful she can persuade Asher-Smith to take part in Birmingham during a summer when the world championships, Commonwealth Games and European championships all take place during a five-week window between 15 July and 21 August. But Sotherton admitted the prospects of Asher-Smith attempting the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in Birmingham and Katarina Johnson-Thompson doing another heptathlon immediately after competing at the world championships in Oregon are slim because of fatigue. Video: James Milner takes the Asher-Smith challenge (Liverpool Echo) “The fixture congestion is not ideal,” Sotherton said. It is finding that balance.” Sotherton is optimistic she can help England surpass the 29 athletics medals won when the Games were staged in Manchester in 2002.