THE HAGUE: Two-time world champion sprinter Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands announced her retirement at the age of 31 after having struggled with injuries in recent years.
“The race stops here,” she posted on Instagram. “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.”
The highlight of Schippers’ career was at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing when she captured the 200m gold and silver in the 100m. Two years later in London, she defended her title in the 200m and finished third in the 100m. In between she grabbed silver in the 200m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Schippers still holds the European record in the 200m with a time of 21.63 seconds set in Beijing in 2015.
In recent years, Schippers suffered from several injuries, especially back problems. She still had the dream of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but now she realized that dream would not become a reality and decided to quit.
“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,” Schippers said. IANS
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