World champion visits Hood River

Dafne Schippers, a Dutch track and field athlete and world champion stopped by Hood River last week, visiting the crew at Shortt Supply. Schippers placed first in the 200-meter dash at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships held last August in Beijing with a time of 21.63 seconds. Schippers, who competes in sprint events as well as the heptathlon, was in the Pacific Northwest to compete in the IAAF World Indoor Championships, during which she placed first in the 60-meter dash. Brian Shortt, co-owner of Shortt Supply, said Schippers wanted to visit Hood River “because she heard how interesting the region is” and wanted to check it out before heading to Florida for some warm weather training to prepare for this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Schippers is pictured with Shortt Supply co-owner Karen Shortt (far left) and store employee Mark Chamly (far right).