Dina Asher-Smith has spent most of the past few years studying for a degree in history. Now she intends to make it. The 22-year-old is targeting three gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin this week as she spearheads a British team hoping to surpass their best haul of 23 medals set in Zurich four years ago.

No woman has achieved the European treble since the East German Katrin Krabbe 28 years ago. Asher‑Smith, though, clearly fancies her chances. “This whole season has been about reorganising where I am in the world lists and pushing myself up to be in a position for those podiums, to be challenging for those medals and ultimately be more of a contender,” she said. “And I feel that the Europeans is the place to do it.”

Asher‑Smith is already setting her sights higher, though, towards the world championships next year and beyond. “It would be very nice to win. But ultimately it’s not a world or Olympic title. Right now it has importance and it is a stepping stone on to bigger things. But when it comes down to it, it’s all about Tokyo.”

Asher-Smith’s confidence is not misplaced. She is the fastest European woman this year over 100m and 200m, including a British record of 10.92sec in the 100m, while Britain’s women are piping hot favourites for the 4x100m relay too. It helps that her major rival, the Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers, the reigning world 200m champion, has struggled to hit her highest notes in 2018.

In the past the Dutch runner has often had the edge over Asher-Smith but the Briton feels her performances this year give her the advantage against her friend and long-time rival. “Every single person when you step on the line is beatable,” she says. “Everybody makes mistakes. Some people might have the edge now and again but there’s absolutely nobody that’s unbeatable.”

Schippers, who has won at least one gold medal a year at major competitions since switching from heptathlon to sprinting in 2014, had strong words for her critics during a press conference to promote these championships. “You can give me time instead of throwing all negative shit over me,” she said. “The more difficult the situation, the better I’m focused. But sometimes it seems everything less than the first place is not good enough. At the moment it feels like parts are going well but the combination is not there yet. I’m sure it can come together.”

When the women’s 100m starts on Monday evening, Asher-Smith and her teammate Imani-Lara Lansiquot will be able to put their feet up having got a bye into Tuesday’s semi-finals by virtue of being among the 12 fastest European women this year. Daryll Neita, however, will have to compete in the heats.

Six other Britons are also in action on the first day in Berlin, including Dai Greene and Seb Rodger in the 400m hurdles heats, Chris Bennett and Nick Miller in men’s hammer qualifying, and Dan Bramble and Feron Sayers in men’s long jump qualifying.

British Athletics has a squad of 102 athletes in Berlin, the biggest team sent to a major championships in the modern era, and is expecting a large haul of medals with Lorraine Ugen, Zharnel Hughes, Asher-Smith, Matthew Hudson-Smith and Laura Muir all ranked number one in Europe at their events.

The medal haul is likely to begin on Tuesday, with strong hopes in the men’s and women’s 100m and the men’s hammer. There is even the chance of a British 1-2-3 in the men’s 100m final on Tuesday night with Hughes, Reece Prescod and CJ Ujah all fancying their chances and the Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut having injury concerns.

“Anything is possible,” said Ujah, who won the Diamond League 100m title last year. “There are a lot of competitors going for a gold medal but, if we do get a 1-2-3, it will be a historic moment.”

The British team will be captained by Greene, the world champion 400m hurdler, who returns to the squad for the first time since 2013 after a series of injuries.

“It doesn’t feel [like] I’ve been out of the team for that long. It’s not as if I’ve been sitting on my backside. I’ve been trying and grinding and falling at the last,” said Greene, who is targeting a place in the final.

“I’m looking forward to having that sensation which brings out the best of me and my competitive side.”