Europe's finest sprinter of the 2010s — World Champion at 200m twice, the fastest European woman in history over 100m and a two-time world medallist whose explosive acceleration and technical speed made her the most feared sprinter on the European circuit.
Dafne Schippers was born in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1992. She won consecutive World Championship gold medals in the 200m in Beijing 2015 and London 2017, becoming the fastest European woman in history at 100m and the dominant sprinter on the European circuit through the decade. She won Olympic silver in the 200m at Rio 2016. She began her career as a heptathlete — winning European Championship silver in 2012 — before transitioning full-time to the sprints. She won the Diamond League 100m and 200m titles across multiple seasons. Her combination of long stride pattern, acceleration mechanics and competitive intelligence made her the defining European sprinter of the 2010s.
200m sprinting and European record holder
How They Played
Explosive acceleration with strong finish in 200m
Lasting Impact
One of Europe's greatest female sprinters
World Champion 200m 2015, 2017
Career Honours
- World Champion 200m 2015, 2017
- 200m European Record holder
- Olympic Silver 2016 (200m)