At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, the 23-year-old sprinter won silver in the 100-metre sprint, before blowing the competition out of the water during the 200-metre sprint, winning gold and setting a British record of 21.88 seconds. It was this result that earned Asher-Smith the title of the first British woman sprinter to win a major global sprint title.
Speaking to BBC News after the race, Asher-Smith was emotional, saying, "I woke up today thinking, 'This is it. This is the moment you did all your work for'. The tiredness disappeared." Asher-Smith is also the first British person to win a world of Olympic sprint title since Linford Christie won gold in a 100-metre sprint at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.