One of the greatest athletes in the sport of track and field has decided to hang up her spikes for good.
On Wednesday, multiple time world champion and Olympic medalist Dafne Schippers announced that she would be retiring from the sport.
“The race stops here,” she said in her official announcement 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.
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. My family, my team, my fans, and my sponsors, you made it all worthwhile.”
Schippers, who represented the Netherlands, was a force to be reckoned with on the track and in the multi-events. Schippers won back-to-back world championship gold medals in the women’s 200m in 2015 and 2017, in addition to taking home the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the event. Her personal best time for 200 meters is 21.63 seconds, which is the sixth fastest in event history.
Prior to her dominant career in the sprints, Schippers competed in the heptathlon, in which she won the bronze medal at the 2013 Moscow World Championships.
