Schippers already ran in front of her home crowd at the European Championships in Amsterdam, but the legendary crowd of athletics fans in Brussels will provide another level of intensity. “The atmosphere in Brussels is indescribable," Schippers says at the press conference the day before the race at the Sheraton Hotel in Brussels.
The Dutchwoman was left disappointed after the Rio Olympic Games with a fifth place on the 100 metres and a silver medal on the 200m. After becoming the 200 metre world champion last year it was obvious Schippers would only settle for an Olympic gold medal, but the initial disappointment has since faded.
“I’m happy with silver now," Schippers said. "If you had told me two years ago I would have become world champion on the 200 metres and take Olympic silver, I would have called you crazy. The world title gave me extra pressure in Holland. It was as if I only had to go and collect the gold medal, but it’s not that simple of course. In the sprint it’s all about the details, about centimetres.
On Friday Schippers will face her nemesis Elaine Thompson, who took the gold in both the 100 and 200 metres in Rio. The Diamond Race on the 200 metres already went to Schippers, with Thompson in second. On the 100 metres, the Jamaican leads Schippers by eight points.
Has Schippers reached her peak yet? Or can she go even faster than her brilliant personal best of 10.81? “That’s a difficult question,” Schippers replies to a question from the media. “I certainly hope so.” Who knows where the vocal support of all those Dutch fans will get her on Friday night?
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