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2015 World Outdoor Championships Beijing, China August 22-30, 2015 Photo: Victah Sailer@PhotoRun Victah1111@aol.com 631-291-3409 www.photorun.NET
AG Insurance Memorial van Damme Brussels – Dafne Schippers aims for a double in Rio – Proud father Jacques Borlée
Dafne Schippers confirmed that she is opting to compete in both the 100m and the 200m in the 2016 Olympic Games. Next summer she will also compete in the Long Jump from to time.
“The last weeks have been very busy. I was asked for a lot of interview sessions and ceremonies, but I declined most of them and I tried to focus on running hard in Brussels. It is exciting to race against Allyson, Elaine and all the other girls around. I hope that I’m ready.”
“Analysing my races in Beijing I think that there is still some work to do on my start and on the first part of my race. I’m still only 23 and I hope that I can make more progress in the next years. Which one is my favourite event ? I’m not sure. In the 100m I can improve if my start gets better. The 200m requires more experience and race judgment. To go to Rio as one of the favourites doesn’t put any pressure on me. I think I handle the pressure well.’’
‘‘I was expecting to run below 22 seconds in Beijing, but 21”63 is a lot faster than what I was hoping for. All World Records will be broken one day. I must admit that I am thinking more about the World Record now than I did before the World Championships.”
‘’I won’t compete in the Heptathlon anymore, even when I like it during the winter to train for different events and I will continue to do so. But I do have the idea of competing in the Long Jump next year every now and then. I’m hoping to jump beyond 7.00m. I train for the Long Jump every two weeks and if I can concentrate a bit more on that I think I will achieve that goal.’’
‘‘Having the European Championships on home soil in Amsterdam next year is a great opportunity for Dutch Athletics and for me. I will compete in one event then and it is still to be decided whether it will be the 100m or the 200m. In Rio I will definitely opt for the double. And in the Relay of course where the Netherlands have a strong and a young team that is able to make it through to the final.’
Proud father Jacques Borlée
The Borlée family will be represented by four athletes on Friday. Their father and coach Jacques feels very proud about that.
Jonathan opts for the 200m. I’ve run many 400m this year and I look forward to competing against Justin Gatlin and other strong athletes.” Besides Jonathan Borlée also Wayde Van Niekerk from South Africa and Isaac Makwala from Botswana go down from the 400m to the 200m.
Elder sister Olivia is in the top women’s race over 200m. “Racing against Allyson Felix and Dafne Schippers can drive Olivia to a qualifying mark for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio,” says Jacques Borlée.
Dylan Borlée and Kévin Borlée are entered in the 400m. “I’m really looking forward tot that,” says Kévin. “I love to run in Brussels, especially with my team mates from the 4 x 400m Relay.”
“Proud and happy to see four of my children in action in a Diamond League meeting,” concludes Jacques Borlée.
Allyson Felix returns to her favourite event
"Yes, the 200m was an impressing race in Beijing, they ran very fast. It was hard not to be a part of that, because races like that don’t come often on your way."
"It was a hard choice to make whether I would compete in the 200m or in the 400m in Beijing. Finally we decided to step up and further explore the 400m. I was happy with my races, individually and in the relay. It shows that there is still more potential for me in the 400m. While the 200m is kind of a ballistic race, in the 400m it takes more experience to put your race together. But in terms of speed I am probably not as sharpe now as I would like to."
"I'm not occupied in collecting medals but I'm happy that I can be part of all those great champions that have won medals at global championships. I just always try to run at my best."
"I'm not reflecting on retiring from the sports. As long as I'm able to compete at top level I will continue in the sports. I do not want to limit myself and to keep focusing on the next competitions. My first Olympics were back in 2004 and it is indeed not easy to get your career going the way I did. To come over injuries is certainly the thing that puts the most pressure on me. After Rio I will see how my body feels and how the motivation is going. The main reason why I am in business for such a long time is that I'm a fierce competitor. I love to compete and I love to take on new challenges. And I vove athletics."
"Next year I will attempt to make the US Team for both the 200m and the 400m. As far as the Olympic time schedule is concerend I can't tell anything about, things can always change. But I would love the opportunity to compete in both events, in a perfect world I would say yes."
Source: AG Insurance Memorial van Damme Brussels
