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SPORTSSaturday 12 September
Schippers edges Felix to win 200 at Diamond League finale
RAF CASERT pion Allyson Felix grimacing
AP Sports Writer to the extent that even her
BRUSSELS (AP) — Dafne elegant stride deserted her.
Schippers swept away any “It makes me especially
doubts she will be a gold happy to beat someone like
medal contender at the Rio her,” Schippers said. “There
de Janeiro Olympics, cross- are few better. I feel delight-
ing the finishing line at the ed.”
Van Damme meet Friday Even though Schippers won
with one index finger held the 200 at the Beijing world
proudly in the air. championships two weeks
The Dutchwoman won a stir- ago, there remained a big
ring 200 meters to highlight question as to who was the
the final Diamond League fastest over the distance
event, with Olympic cham- since Felix skipped the half
Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands, left, and Allyson Felix from the U.S. run the women’s
200m at the Diamond League Memorial Van Damme athletics event, at Brussels’ King Baudouin
stadium, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. Associated Press
lap because of a schedul- step up her speed work af- Gatlin finished runner-up
ing problem and won the ter centering most of the to Usain Bolt at the world
400 meters instead. season on the 400. championships in both sprint
The duel in front of 40,000 “Hopefully I’ll get back to races and had decided to
fans at the King Baudouin some more speed work next double here after the Ja-
Stadium delivered right year and be ready to go,” maican pulled out of the
away. Felix had the better Felix said. meet earlier this week, also
start and turned into the fin- Now all eyes are turned to- to spare him the risk of injury.
ishing straight slightly ahead. ward next August in Brazil. Instead, Ogunode won the
Then the former heptathlete With 100 silver to go with her 200 in 19.97 seconds.
turned full-time sprinter this 200 gold, Schippers adds a The best competition of
year turned on the turbo defining European touch the event came early in
as Schippers swept past to a sprinting mix that had the triple jump, where Co-
the American veteran and too often been the sole pre- lombia’s Caterine Ibarguen
even had time to lift one serve of American and Ca- again put the longest ac-
arm in victory as she crossed ribbean athletes. tive winning streak in athlet-
the line. Justin Gatlin was also think- ics — three years — on the
Felix was the last big sprinter ing of Rio when he pulled line. It was close. She was
she still had to beat. “That out of the 200 after he had still in third place on her last
feels extra great,” Schippers already won the 100 early in triple jump attempt, and
said. the evening. again proved her resilience
The times on a chilly night Gatlin struggled into a slight by bouncing back with a
were disappointing, with headwind and barely held last jump of 14.60 meters to
Schippers crossing in 22.12 off Femi Ogunode of Qatar sweep past Israeli Hanna
seconds, beating Felix by to win in 9.98 seconds. Knyazheva-Minenko and
a tenth of a second. Elaine Both sprinters finished in the Russian Yekaterina Koneva
Thompson of Jamaica, silver same time and held an and clinch her 30th straight
medalist in Beijing, finished edge of 0.01 over Jimmy Vi- win. The evening also had
third in 22.26. caut of France. two African records, with
It didn’t matter to Schippers. Gatlin said felt a twinge Faith Kipyegon of Kenya
“Nobody is at their best at in his left quad and didn’t winning the women’s mile
this stage in the season,” she want to enter the offseason in 4 minutes, 16.71 seconds
said. “It is a head-to-head nursing an injury. and Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia
duel and it is really impor- “I just wanted to be safe so I becoming the fastest non-
tant.” could use my time enjoying Russian 3,000 steeple chaser
Felix knows she will have to myself,” he said. with a time of 9:05.36.q
