Asha Philip

Asha Philip

Philip in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Asha Solette Philip
Nationality	British English
Born	(1990-10-25) 25 October 1990 (age 34) Leyton, London, England[1]
Education	Kingston University
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
Country	Great Britain England
Sport	Athletics
Event	100 metres
Club	Newham & Essex Beagles[2]
Coached by	Steve Fudge
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m relay 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m relay World Championships 2017 London 4×100 m relay 2019 Doha 4×100 m relay 2023 Budapest 4×100 m relay World Relays 2014 Nassau 4×200 m relay 2015 Nassau 4×100 m relay European Championships 2014 Zürich 4×100 m relay 2018 Berlin 4×100 m relay 2024 Rome 4×100 m relay 2016 Amsterdam 4×100 m relay European Indoor Championships 2017 Belgrade 60 m 2019 Glasgow 60 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m relay 2022 Birmingham 4×100 m relay 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m relay

Asha Solette Philip (born 25 October 1990) is an English sprinter and former junior gymnast specialising in double mini-trampoline. She was the first British woman to achieve a global 100 metres title at any age-group, winning gold at the 2007 World Youth Championships aged 16. Following a serious knee injury in gymnastics in a championship in Quebec at 17, and a rehabilitation period of several years, she returned to athletics full-time in 2014, winning gold at the European Athletics Championships in the 4 x 100 metres relay for Great Britain, and bronze in the same event at the Commonwealth Games for England.

She won her first senior individual title in 2017, claiming gold at the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60 metres for women, and with Dina Asher-Smith, Desiree Henry and Daryll Neita formed part of the Great Britain 4 × 100 m relay squad which won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2016 Rio Games. She also won silver medals in the same event at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. A noted fast starter and 60 metre sprinter, Philip generally runs the first leg on relay duty.

Philip had competed in double mini trampoline since aged 4. She was a World Junior Champion on double mini-trampoline, winning gold in the junior (15–16 years old) girls category in the world age competition in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

In July 2007, Philip won the World Youth Athletics Championships gold in the 100 metres, but shortly afterwards suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury representing Great Britain in the double-mini team event at the senior Trampoline World Championships in Quebec, Canada, which halted her sporting career entirely for three years.^[3] This ruled her out of a chance at selection for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.^[4]

On her return from injury, Philip completed solely in athletics, and was part of the Great Britain teams that won a silver medal in the 4 x 200 metres relay at the 2014 IAAF World Relays, and a gold medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2014 European Championships. In the same year, representing England, she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay and finished fourth in the 100 metres final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In 2016, she competed at the Olympic Games in Rio. Philip reached the semi-finals of the 100 metres, but did not qualify for the finals. Philip then went on to win a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay, along with teammates Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita. The quartet set a new British record with a time of 41.77 seconds.^[5]

Born in Leyton, East London to an Antiguan father and a Jamaican mother, Philip attended Connaught School for Girls in Leytonstone. She graduated from Kingston University in 2012, with a BA (Hons) degree in drama.^[6]

• Asha Philip at World Athletics
• Asha Philip at British Athletics
• Asha Philip at Power of 10
• Asha Philip at the International Gymnastics Federation
• Asha Philip at Team GB
• Asha Philip at Team England
• Asha Philip at Olympedia (archive)
• Asha Philip at Olympics.com
• Asha Philip at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games