Before the Championships began, Schippers sat alongside two of her other 100m sprint rivals, defending champion Ivet Lalova and Germany’s 2010 champion Verena Sailer and announced: “I will go with these girls for a medal. We will see which colour medal it is.”
Now she knows – it’s gold. And tomorrow morning she plans to be back on the same track to start the second part of her European adventure.
“Yes, I will be on the line tomorrow morning,” she said with a grin. “That is the final thing for me. I am feeling good.”
Reflecting on her race, she added: “The first 20 metres were not that good and the last 20 were not very relaxing so I can see some space for improvement.
“But it is great to become the European champion and it is a big honour, although it will take some time for me to realise it.
“The gold medal is very important to my country. You have to take that moment – you cannot choose the weather, or the wind, or the track. I hope that my fans and my country are also very happy just like me.
“Next season I will be back in the heptathlon, starting at Gotzis just like this season.”
But before that, history beckons her in the longer sprint…
