ZURICH, Switzerland — With the 100-meter gold medal secured, Dafne Schippers dominated the 200 semifinals, too, the second step in a potential sprint triple at the European Championships on Thursday.
Running a day after winning her first title, the Dutchwoman showed no ill effect from two more heats in barely eight hours as she clocked the fastest time for Friday’s final.
"It was a real short night. But being tired at the start is nothing new for a heptathlete," Schippers said.
She turned sprinter for these championships and Wednesday’s 100 was seen as her toughest individual challenge.
Thursday’s performance over the 200 underscored that. After a slow start, she put on the turbos halfway through, and suddenly was clear on her own, able to easily look right and left before easing up for a time of 22.48 seconds, easily the fastest of the semifinals.
As in the 100, it looks like Myriam Soumare of France will be her main rival, coming through in 22.56 to win her semifinal.
Schippers has the fastest 200 time of the season, and if she wins the final on Friday she will have to rely on a strong performance from her relay teammates over the weekend to make it three titles.
It would equal the sprint triple of Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won three individual events at the 1950 European Championships.
In other qualifying, Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie missed his first attempt at 5.60 metres in the pole vault but quickly recovered to qualify for Saturday’s final.
One day ahead of women’s high jump qualifying, former world champion Blanka Vlasic was forced to pull out because of a knee injury. Her comeback from an Achilles operation two years ago had been one of the most anticipated events of the championships.
In the first final of the day, Elmira Alembekova shook off her rivals late in the 20-kilometre walk for a breakaway victory and a first gold medal for Russia.
Alembekova won her first major title when she crossed the line in Zurich’s old town in 1:27:56, beating Lyudmyla Olyanovska of Ukraine by 11 seconds.
The third day of the competition also has finals in the women’s pole vault and javelin, and in the men’s triple jump, steeplechase and 110 hurdles.