Schippers was the 200m world champion at both the 2015 and the 2017 World Athletics Championships, the silver medalist in the 200m at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 200m champion in the 2016 Diamond League. Additionally, she won two silver and two bronze medals at world championships—heptathlon bronze in 2013; 100m silver in 2015; indoor 60m silver in 2016 and 100m bronze in 2017—and five (outdoor and indoor) European titles. She won twenty-two Dutch titles (outdoor and indoor).
Schippers in lane 8 during the 100 metres hurdles of the heptathlon at the 2012 London Olympics
In 2012, Schippers was invited to participate at the prestigious heptathlon Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria, where she finished fifth. She also competed at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland, finishing fifth at the 200 metres.[7] The race was disappointing after she had won her heat in 23.01 s and recorded the fastest semi-final time of 22.70 s. The Dutch 4 x 100 m relay team (Kadene Vassell, Schippers, Eva Lubbers and Samuel) were second in 42.80 s, a national record, behind the German team.[8]
A year later, she started with a third place at the Hypo-Meeting, with 6287 points.[9] Next, she won gold in the 100 m and bronze in the long jump at the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships. At the subsequent 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Schippers won the bronze medal in the heptathlon, collapsing over the line after taking a massive seven seconds off her personal best in the 800 metres to see off Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Germany's Claudia Rath for the bronze.[10][11] She became the first Dutch woman to win a medal in the heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships.[10]
Schippers improved the 200 m record during the heptathlon at the 2014 Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, her time of 22.35 s being one of the best 200 m performances ever in a heptathlon. She finished third at the hepthatlon with 6545 points, a new national record.[12] At the European championships of 2014, Schippers won gold medals in the 100 m and the 200 m.[13] The 4 x 100 m relay team, one of the favourites for the title, did not finish in the final due to a botched first baton change.[14]
Shifting to sprinting
Her success at the 2014 European Athletics Championships prompted discussion over her long-term prospects and whether she should focus on sprinting, or continue her career in the heptathlon.[15] In June 2015, Schippers announced via Twitter that she would focus on sprinting in the run-up to the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).[16]
The 2015 season had started well with a win in the 60 m at the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague, Czechia.[17] At the 2015 Beijing World Championships, Schippers won the silver medal in the 100 m and gold in the 200 m, just before Elaine Thompson.[18] Her 200 m winning time of 21.63 seconds was a new European record and made her the third fastest woman in history over that distance.[18][19] The Dutch 4 × 100 m relay team (Nadine Visser, Schippers, Naomi Sedney and Samuel) finished fifth in 42.32 s, but was disqualified for a changeover infringement.[20] In the heats the team had also run 42.32 s, a new national record.[21] Her stunning victory opened her up to scrutiny about possible doping. There were questions about the acne on Schippers back and face, which can be a sign of steroid abuse. Most insiders, however, dismissed those claims, pointing out that the acne was hereditary in the family and the fast track in Beijing.[22]
At the 2016 Rio Olympics expectation was high that she would add an Olympic title to the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships, following in the footsteps of Fanny Blankers-Koen who had dominated the sprint events at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games, winning four golds.[24] However, she finished fifth in the 100 m final[25] and won the silver medal in the 200 m behind Elaine Thompson, who became the first woman for 28 years to complete the Olympic sprint double.[26][27] After defeat in the 200 m, Schippers remained forlorn on the side of the track for a while, took off her spikes and hurled them to one side in frustration.[24] "I came here for gold", she told reporters, disappointment showing in her face. "I'm not happy with the silver."[26] The Dutch relay team was eliminated in the heats due to a botched relay handover between Samuel and Schippers.[28][29]
After the disappointment of Rio, Schippers decided to change. She parted with Bart Bennema as her coach, who had overseen her transition from an outstanding heptathlete, winning bronze in the World Championships Moscow 2013, into a successful 100 m and 200 m sprinter. Both felt that she had to try a different approach to progress, and so she decided to join U.S. coach and sprint guru Rana Reider[30] and focus on the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, to defend her world title in the 200 m. After winning the bronze in the 100 m, she won the 200 m title, joining Jamaican Merlene Ottey and USA's Allyson Felix as the only athletes to successfully defend a world title in the event.[24][31] "It's a great feeling to be world champion for the second time," she said. "I was a bit nervous beforehand, but I'm a final runner, and bring my best in finals, so I'm very grateful for the experience today. There were so many Dutch fans in the stadium, all wearing orange. To win this two times in a row is brilliant."[24] The Dutch 4 × 100 m relay team (Madiea Ghafoor, Schippers, Sedney, Samuel) finished 8th.
For the 2018 season, the focus for the "Flying Dutchwoman of the sprints"[32] was on the 2018 European Athletics Championships at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. However, it was British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith who became the star of the sprint there, winning gold on both the 100 m and 200 m, as well as the 4 x 100 m relay. Schippers won a bronze in the 100 m and a silver in the 200 m.[33] The 4 x 100 m relay team with Schippers, Marije van Hunenstijn, Samuel and Sedney also finished second.
Due to the disappointing results, the collaboration between Schippers and Reider came under scrutiny. Although Reider did prepare her for her special second world title at 200 m and bronze at 100 m at the 2017 World Championships, many other races looked rigid and she had lost her most important weapon, the 'acceleration' in the end. Due to increased power training she became more muscular, but on the track this did not lead to improvements. She could not improve her 2015 top chrono's.[34] Reider suddenly left the National Sports Centre Papendal in the Netherlands in November 2018, and Schippers returned to her first coach, Bart Bennema.[35]
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