The United States dominated the World Athletics Championships with a historic haul of 16 gold, five silver, and five bronze medals. But the moment came with a bittersweet twist as Gabby Thomas was ruled out with an Achilles tendon injury, admitting that “sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury.” As she fights to recover, rival Dina Asher-Smith has already settled into a new camp, setting her sights firmly on the 2026 season.

Earlier this year, Britain’s Asher-Smith made a pivotal career decision by parting ways with coach Edrick Floreal during her stint in Texas and returning to London. “I feel very confident and capable today. I love it. I’m such a London girl. I tried. I promise I tried my hardest. But yeah… of course,” she told Athletics Weekly.

However, months later, the British sprinter has once again reshuffled her setup, moving back to Texas, this time to train under the guidance of Baylor head coach Michael Ford, marking her third coaching change since 2019.

Quick fact: Michael Ford served as the head coach for Team USA’s men’s sprints and hurdles in Paris last year. Under his guidance, Team USA won ten medals, including five golds.

Asher-Smith has now begun training under Ford, and a video shared by her new head coach shows the former champion sprinting across the Baylor track as she works to rediscover her trademark speed after finishing the recent World Athletics Championships without a medal. The last time she secured an international medal came at the Paris Olympics 2024, where she won silver as part of the 4x100m relay team.

However, her most recent individual success internationally dates all the way back to 2019, when she won 200m gold at the World Championships. Asher-Smith came close to securing an individual medal at the Paris Olympics, but despite her efforts, she finished fourth, just 0.02 seconds away from bronze medalist Brittany Brown, with Gabby Thomas taking gold.

To date, Dina Asher-Smith has run against Gabby Thomas on 17 occasions in the 100m and 200m, but it is Thomas who’s emerged victorious in most of their meetings.

In their head-to-head matchups in the 200m, the two have shared the track on fourteen occasions. They first met at the 2018 Rabat Diamond League, where Asher-Smith finished ahead, clocking 22.40s, while Thomas recorded 22.70s. This was followed by the 2022 Doha Diamond League, where Thomas turned the tables by clocking 21.98s, as Asher-Smith finished in 22.37s.

The two met again at the 2024 London Diamond League, where Thomas once again claimed victory with a time of 21.82s, while Asher-Smith clocked 22.07s. At the Paris Olympics, both in the semifinals and the final, Thomas again ousted her British rival.

With such a head-to-head record, Thomas has the edge over Dina Asher-Smith 11-3 and 2-1 in the 100m. However, as the 2026 season approaches, Britain’s fastest woman is doing her best to lessen that gap. And even though Thomas is currently injured, her recovery appears to be going strong.

She might be injured, but Gabby Thomas’ recovery is on point

Back in October, the 200m Olympic champion took to her Instagram handle to upload a montage of her taking on the “Impossible Mile Challenge” alongside 400m hurdles standout Bianca Stubler. The challenge included a 400m burpee broad jump, 400 meters of walking lunges, 400 meters of bear crawls, and finally, a 400-meter run.

Both athletes took on the full challenge, and despite battling injuries, Gabby Thomas powered through to complete it in an impressive 1 hour and 9 minutes. Thomas also shared a message for her fans in the caption, writing, “When you remember you have free will, might try this one again once my Achilles is feeling better.” 

While speaking at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s annual gala last month, Thomas acknowledged the difficulties of sitting out a big meet through injury but emphasized that her comeback will be even stronger. She confirmed that she plans to resume preparations soon, stating, “I’ll be training for the beginning of next season… I’ll start my training probably in December.” 

The athlete could very well kick off her 2026 season on the indoor circuit, a move that now feels increasingly likely after she hinted at the plan back in September, saying, “I’ll do indoors. I’ll probably be at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston at the end of January.”

With the World Indoor schedule now officially unveiled, the spotlight immediately turns to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, set to open the calendar on January 24th. With the next season coming sooner than expected, will we be able to witness a face-off between Thomas and Smith again?