Netherlands
2016
Dafne Schippers' 200 m silver — the Netherlands' first Olympic athletics medal in 24 years, and the quiet year just before the Dutch boom.
The Netherlands won one athletics medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics — Dafne Schippers' 200 m silver in 21.88 — its first Olympic athletics medal in 24 years.
This is the Dutch 2016 season told through Rio: Schippers' silver, a young Sifan Hassan before the rise, the 24-year gap the medal closed, and the Netherlands Pro Elite kit of the era.
Part of our Season Series — one year at a time. The full national story is in The History of Athletics in the Netherlands. Jump to the 2016 kit or browse the collection.
- Games
- Rio de Janeiro Olympics, 12–21 August 2016
- Medals
- 1 — one silver
- The medal
- Dafne Schippers — 200 m, 21.88
- Beaten by
- Elaine Thompson (JAM), 21.78 — by 0.10
- First since
- 1992 — ended a 24-year Dutch athletics drought
- Also there
- A young Sifan Hassan, 5th in the 1500 m (4:11.23)
- The context
- The quiet year just before the Dutch boom
- Kit
- Netherlands Pro Elite — 4 pieces from the era in the archive
The 2016 season in short
The Netherlands' 2016 season peaked at the Rio Olympics with a single athletics medal — and it mattered more than its number. Dafne Schippers took 200 m silver, the country's first Olympic athletics medal in 24 years.
This was the Schippers era: one sprinter carrying a thin Dutch track team, a couple of years before the distance-and-relay boom — Sifan Hassan, Femke Bol, the relays — changed the picture entirely.
Rio: Schippers' 200 m silver
Rio came down to the 200 m final.
Dafne Schippers, the reigning world 200 m champion, ran 21.88 for silver, beaten by Jamaica's Elaine Thompson (21.78) by a tenth of a second; Tori Bowie took bronze. In the 100 m Schippers had finished fifth (10.90). It was the one medal — but it ended a long Dutch wait.
- SilverDafne Schippers — 200 m21.88
A young Sifan Hassan was in Rio too, fifth in the 1500 m (4:11.23) with no medal — years before the Tokyo triple and the Paris marathon gold that made her a superstar. In 2016 the Dutch track story was Schippers, alone.
The 24-year gap it closed
To see why one silver mattered, look at the gap it closed.
Before Rio, the last Dutch Olympic athletics medal had come at Barcelona 1992, when Ellen van Langen won 800 m gold. Twenty-four years followed with none. Schippers' 200 m silver in 2016 ended that drought — and, as it turned out, opened the door to the Dutch surge that followed.
Dutch Olympic athletics medals, 1992 & 2016 — data table
| Games | Athlete | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona 1992 | Ellen van Langen | 800 m | Gold |
| 1996–2012 | — | — | No athletics medal |
| Rio 2016 | Dafne Schippers | 200 m | Silver |
Within a few years the picture was unrecognisable: Sifan Hassan's global titles, Femke Bol's 400 m hurdles, and Dutch relays on world and Olympic podiums. Rio 2016 was the quiet year just before all of it.
The kit: Netherlands Pro Elite 2016
At Rio the Dutch team wore national-team kit supplied by Asics, the Netherlands Olympic apparel partner for that cycle. In our archive, the Dutch pieces we hold from the 2016 era are the Netherlands Pro Elite race-issued kit — made for the athletes, not a retail line with a badge on it.
What “Pro Elite” means here. Pro Elite pieces are issued to the athletes through the team channel: cut, weight and finishing specified for competition, in a run limited to what the squad receives. When a piece leaves that channel it is not replaced.
The 2016 Dutch rail in the archive is a small, authentic slice. What is here is shown below; for the rest of the Dutch range, the full collection is a click away.
Netherlands Pro Elite 2016
The Dutch pieces we hold from the 2016 era — race-issued Netherlands Pro Elite kit. A small, authentic slice; in stock first, sold-out pieces stay visible, and the full Dutch collection is a click away.
How many athletics medals did the Netherlands win at Rio 2016?
One: Dafne Schippers' 200 m silver (21.88). It was the country's first Olympic athletics medal in 24 years.
Who beat Dafne Schippers in the Rio 200 m final?
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson, who won gold in 21.78 — a tenth of a second ahead of Schippers' 21.88. Tori Bowie of the USA took bronze.
Why was one silver such a big deal for the Netherlands?
Because it ended a 24-year wait. The previous Dutch Olympic athletics medal was Ellen van Langen's 800 m gold at Barcelona 1992. Schippers' 2016 silver was the first since.
Did Sifan Hassan win a medal at Rio 2016?
No — she was fifth in the 1500 m (4:11.23). Rio was before her rise; she later won the 2019 world double, three Tokyo 2021 medals and the Paris 2024 marathon gold.
What kit did the Netherlands wear in 2016?
The Dutch national team was supplied by Asics for the Rio cycle. Our archive holds Netherlands Pro Elite race-issued pieces from the era; the rail below shows what is in stock, and the full Dutch collection is linked from there.
Sources and References
- Wikipedia — Netherlands at the 2016 Summer Olympics (athletics) — Schippers' 200 m silver and the athletics results
- World Athletics — Rio 2016 women's 200 m final report — the 21.88 silver behind Thompson's 21.78
- Wikipedia — Ellen van Langen (800 m gold, Barcelona 1992) — the previous Dutch Olympic athletics medal, 24 years earlier
- Wikipedia — Dafne Schippers (two-time world 200 m champion; retired 2023) — her career and 2023 retirement
- Wikipedia — Sifan Hassan — the after: her 1500 m fifth in 2016 and later titles