Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers (L) celebrates winning the final of the women’s 200 metres at the world championships in Beijing on August 28, 2015. PHOTO/AFP
BEIJING, August 28- Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers smashed a European record which has stood since the 1970s as she won world 200m gold with an electrifying run on Friday.
The 100m silver-medallist ran 21.63sec, the fourth fastest time in history, as she lunged at the line to beat Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, who clocked a personal best of 21.66sec.
It was a remarkable win for Schippers, 23, who eclipsed the European record of 21.71sec set by Marita Koch in 1979 and matched by fellow East German Heike Drechsler in 1986.
Only Americans Marion Jones and world record-holder Florence Griffith-Joyner have run the 200m faster than Schippers, who won hepathlon bronze at the Moscow worlds two years ago.
Two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, who previously won the world title in Daegu in 2011, claimed bronze in 21.97sec at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium.
With Thompson on her inside, Schippers was chasing shadows coming off the bend in lane six and realising the Jamaican was marginally ahead of her, the Dutch athlete plugged away down the final straight.
Schippers caught the Jamaican and produced a savage dip at the line for victory before celebrating with family members in the stands.
-Williams gold-
Jamaican Danielle Williams won the women’s 100m hurdles at the world championships on Friday.
Williams clocked a personal best of 12.57 seconds, with Germany’s Cindy Roleder taking silver in 12.59 and Alina Talay bronze in a Belarus national record of 12.66.
The final had been deprived of two rated Americans who failed to make it out of the semi-finals.
First Dawn Harper-Nelson, gold medallist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver medal winner four years later in London, crashed heavily in her heat, before Kendra Harrison was disqualified for a false start in the next.
-Late Bartoletta-
American Tianna Bartoletta was crowned long jump world champion in Beijing on Friday thanks to a final effort of 7.14 metres.
Bartoletta, who previously won the world title in Helsinki in 2005 and was sitting third going into the final round, edged Britain’s Shara Proctor into silver on 7.07m with Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic taking bronze (7.01m).
