Dafne Schippers, a former two-time World 200m champion, announced her retirement from track and field on Tuesday, declaring, “The race stops here.”
The Dutch sprinter had a limited number of appearances following her disappointing performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in 2021. Over her career, Schippers showed marked improvement in her 100m times, culminating in her fastest time of 10.81 seconds in 2015. Her provisional best for 2022 was 11.37 seconds. ALSO READ: Dafne Schippers to take on long jump in …
Dafne Schippers first rose to prominence by defeating Jamaican sprinters Elaine Thompson-Herah and Veronica Campbell-Brown, running a personal best 21.63s, to claim her inaugural 200m World Championship title in Beijing in 2015. She replicated the accomplishment in London in 2017. In addition to her World Championships, she secured a silver medal in the 200m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and also owns 100m silver medals from the Beijing 2015 and London 2017 World Championships.
Dafne Schippers’ farewell message
In her farewell message, the four-time European champion reflected on her career. “As an athlete, you always know this day will come, that at one point, your career will be a moment in time—a collection of memories and hopefully medals,” Dafne Schippers stated. ALSO READ: Dafne Schippers bridge soon
“Today, I have decided to take my life off track to pursue and embrace whatever comes next, but not without saying a massive thank you for all the endless support. It has been a journey without regret,” added Schippers, who is also a silver medalist in the 60m at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland.
She concluded her message by expressing gratitude: “My family, my team, my fans, and my sponsors, you made it all worthwhile.”
