Dafne Schippers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dafne Schippers

Dafne Schippers with her gold 200 m medal at the 2017 World Championships in London
Personal information
Born	(1992-06-15) 15 June 1992 (age 32) Utrecht, Netherlands
Height	1.79 m
Weight	68 kg
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	60 m, 100 m, 200 m, 4 × 100 m relay, long jump, heptathlon
Retired	2023
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m: 10.81 s (2015, NR) 200 m: 21.63 s (2015, AR) Long jump: 6.78 m (2014, NR) Heptathlon: 6545 pts (2014) Indoors 60 m: 7.00 s i (2016, =NR)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  Netherlands Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 0 World Championships 2 1 2 World Indoor Championships 0 1 0 European Championships 4 3 1 European Indoor Championships 1 1 0 Total 7 7 3 Event 1st 2nd 3rd 60 m 1 2 0 100 m 3 1 2 200 m 3 3 0 4 × 100 m relay 1 2 1 Heptathlon 2 0 1 Long jump 0 0 1 Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m World Championships Gold 2015 Beijing 200 m Gold 2017 London 200 m Silver 2015 Beijing 100 m Bronze 2013 Moscow Heptathlon Bronze 2017 London 100 m World Indoor Championships Silver 2016 Portland 60 m World Relays Bronze 2021 Chorzów 4×100 m relay Diamond League 2016 200 m European Championships Gold 2014 Zürich 100 m Gold 2014 Zürich 200 m Gold 2016 Amsterdam 100 m Gold 2016 Amsterdam 4×100 m relay Silver 2012 Helsinki 4×100 m relay Silver 2018 Berlin 200 m Silver 2018 Berlin 4×100 m relay Bronze 2018 Berlin 100 m European Indoor Championships Gold 2015 Prague 60 m Silver 2019 Glasgow 60 m European U23 Championships Gold 2013 Tampere 100 m Bronze 2013 Tampere Long jump World Junior Championships Gold 2010 Moncton Heptathlon Bronze 2010 Moncton 4×100 m relay European Junior Championships Gold 2011 Tallinn Heptathlon Representing Europe Continental Cup Gold 2014 Marrakech 200 m Silver 2018 Ostrava 200 m Bronze 2014 Marrakech 100 m

Dafne Schippers (born on June 15, 1992) is a famous Dutch athlete. She used to compete in track and field events, especially sprinting. She holds the European record for the 200 metres race. Her time of 21.63 seconds makes her the sixth-fastest woman ever at this distance!

Dafne also holds Dutch records in the 100 metres and long jump. She shares the Dutch records for the 60 metres indoors and the 4 × 100 metres relay race.

She became a world champion in the 200m race in both 2015 and 2017. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won a silver medal in the 200m. She also won many other medals, including five European titles.

Dafne was named the European Athlete of the Year in 2014 and 2015. In 2023, she announced that she was retiring from professional athletics.

Dafne Schippers' Early Life

Dafne Schippers was born in Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands. This happened on June 15, 1992.

She started doing athletics when she was nine years old. Her first club was Hellas in Utrecht.

Dafne Schippers' Amazing Career

Starting as a Heptathlete

Dafne Schippers first competed in the heptathlon. This is a tough event where athletes do seven different track and field events. She won gold medals at the 2010 World Junior Championships and the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships.

At the 2010 World Junior Championships, she also won a bronze medal. This was in the 4 × 100 metres relay race. She ran with her teammates Loreanne Kuhurima, Eva Lubbers, and Jamile Samuel.

In 2011, Dafne competed at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. She set a new Dutch national record in the 200m race. Her time was 22.69 seconds.

Schippers in lane 8 during the 100 metres hurdles of the heptathlon at the 2012 London Olympics.

In 2012, Dafne competed in the heptathlon at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria. She finished in fifth place. She also ran in the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland. She finished fifth in the 200 metres. The Dutch 4 x 100m relay team won a silver medal. They set a new national record of 42.80 seconds.

A year later, in 2013, she won gold in the 100m race. She also won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships. At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Dafne won a bronze medal in the heptathlon. She was the first Dutch woman to win a medal in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships.

Dafne improved her 200m record during the heptathlon in 2014. Her time of 22.35 seconds was one of the best 200m performances ever in a heptathlon. She finished third in the heptathlon with 6545 points, a new national record. At the European Championships in 2014, Dafne won gold medals in both the 100m and the 200m races.

Becoming a Sprinting Star

After her success in 2014, people wondered if Dafne should focus only on sprinting. In June 2015, she announced that she would focus on sprinting. This was to prepare for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Schippers won her first senior world title with a 200 m victory at the 2015 World Championships held in Beijing.

The year 2015 started well for Dafne. She won the 60m race at the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague, Czechia. At the 2015 Beijing World Championships, Dafne won a silver medal in the 100m. She then won a gold medal in the 200m race. Her winning time of 21.63 seconds was a new European record. It made her the third fastest woman in history over that distance.

The next year, in 2016, she won the 100m at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam. Her time was 10.90 seconds. The Dutch team, led by Dafne, also won the 4 x 100m relay with a national record of 42.04 seconds.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, many people expected her to win a gold medal. However, she finished fifth in the 100m final. She won the silver medal in the 200m race. She was disappointed, saying, "I came here for gold. I'm not happy with the silver."

New Coaches and Challenges

Schippers (2nd from the left) successfully defended her 200 m global title at the 2017 London World Championships.

After the Rio Olympics, Dafne decided to change her coach. She started working with U.S. coach Rana Reider. Her goal was to defend her world title in the 200m at the 2017 World Championships in London. She won a bronze medal in the 100m. Then, she won the 200m title again! She became one of only a few athletes to win the 200m world title twice in a row. "It's a great feeling to be world champion for the second time," she said.

In 2018, Dafne focused on the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin. She won a bronze medal in the 100m and a silver medal in the 200m. The 4 x 100m relay team also finished second.

Later, Dafne decided to return to her first coach, Bart Bennema. In 2019, she won a silver medal in the 60m at the European Indoor Championships. At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she had to stop competing due to a leg problem.

In September 2023, Dafne Schippers announced her retirement as a professional athlete.

Life After Retirement

After retiring, Dafne Schippers became a commentator for World Athletics. She worked at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

In March 2024, she became the tournament director for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships. This event will take place in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

Dafne Schippers' Best Performances

Here are some of Dafne Schippers' best times and distances in different events:

• 60 metres indoor – 7.00 seconds (Berlin 2016) =NR
• 100 metres – 10.81 seconds (Beijing 2015) NR
• 200 metres – 21.63 seconds (Beijing 2015) European record, sixth-fastest athlete of all time
• Long jump – 6.78 metres (Amsterdam 2014) NR
• Heptathlon – 6545 points (Götzis 2014)
• 4 × 100 metres relay – 42.04 seconds (Amsterdam 2016) NR

Awards and Recognition

Dafne Schippersbrug in 2017

Dafne Schippers received many awards for her amazing career:

• She was named the Dutch Women's Athlete of the Year from 2011 to 2017.
• She was the European Women's Athlete of the Month multiple times.
• She was the European Women's Athlete of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
• She was also named Dutch Sportswoman of the Year in 2015 and 2017.

In 2016, she became a Member of Merit of the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation.

A bridge in Utrecht, where Dafne grew up, was named after her. It's called the Dafne Schippersbrug (Dafne Schippers Bridge) and opened in April 2017.

Images for kids

• 

  Dafne Schippers won her first senior world title with a 200 m victory at the 2015 World Championships held in Beijing.

See also

In Spanish: Dafne Schippers para niños