Kent sprinter Adam Gemili burst into the athletics record books in dramatic fashion after breaking the 10-second barrier for 100m at the Diamond League meeting at Birmingham on Sunday afternoon.

The 21-year-old Dartford star - the European champion over 200m - dipped inside the legendary mark at the Alexander Stadium to claim second place behind the USA's Marvin Bracy.

Gemili stopped the clock in a time of 9.97secs, a week after seeing the same time deemed illegal by strong tailwinds at the Bedford International Games, to make him the 100th athlete in history to achieve the feat.

Gemili had recorded a new Personal Best of 10.00secs earlier on Sunday afternoon as he won his heat.

The achievement was not without drama however as his desperate head dip to the line in a blanket finish saw Gemili lose balance and tumble to the track clutching his right hamstring with his face contorted in agony.

He was eventually carried from the track by medics but was able to applaud the crowd before saying: "I felt my hamstring go as I dipped, but I'm in good spirits.

"It was not the ending I wanted, but I’m very happy to be the first Brit to run sub 10 and sub 20.

"British sprinting is really stepping up and I’m glad to be a part of it."

The Commonwealth silver-medallist over 100m - who reached the semi-finals of the London 2012 Olympics in the same event - becomes the first British athlete in history to run the 200m in under 20 seconds (19.98secs) and run a sub-10 100m.

Blackheath & Bromley AC clubmate Dina Asher-Smith produced a stunning run to claim third in the women's 200m moments later, smashing her PB by nearly a third of a second with a time of 20.30secs.

The time was just 0.01secs behind winner Jeneba Tarmoh and World and Olympic champion Allyson Felix of the USA, with Asher-Smith becoming the second fastest British woman of all-time over the distance and the fastest since 1984.

She told BBC TV Sport: "I'm just really, really happy. I was looking to get somewhere near my PB, so 22.6, so to run 22.3 is just out of this world.

"I knew I had to get out hard obviously with an Olympic and World Champion inside, but when I was coming down the home straight they were next to me and I was like 'Oh my word I'm actually doing quite well.'

"I'm really, really happy. My face at the end - how was I next to them? I am really happy."

Last month the 19-year-old Orpington star became Britain's fastest woman over 100m with a time of 11.02secs in Holland.

Asher-Smith admitted she was still finding it tough to adjust to rubbing shoulders with the world's elite, adding: "I still have to get used to it a bit more, I'm not really used to it, it's still a bit weird."

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