Léa Sprunger

Léa Sprunger (born 5 March 1990) is a former Swiss track and field athlete.[4] Originally a heptathlete like her older sister Ellen, she began concentrating on the 200 metres and 400 metres in 2011, and then on the 400 metres hurdles from 2015. Her best times in the 400m and 400m hurdles of 50.52 s (2018) and 54.06 s (2019) are the Swiss records. She finished fifth in the 400m hurdles final at the 2017 World Championships, and went on to win the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2018 European Championships.

Léa Sprunger
Léa Sprunger at the 2012 Athletissima
Personal information
Born (1990-03-05) 5 March 1990
Nyon, VD[1]
Home townGingins, VD[2]
Years active2007–2021
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
Country  Switzerland
SportAthletics
Event(s)200 m, 400 m hurdles[3]
Coached byLaurent Meuwly[1]
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing   Switzerland
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Berlin400 m hurdles
Bronze medal – third place2016 Amsterdam400 m hurdles
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Glasgow400 m

Career

Born in Nyon, Vaud, Sprunger competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women's 200 m event and the 4 × 100 m relay. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she competed in the 400 m hurdles event and at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 400 m hurdles event and the 4 × 400 m relay.

At the 2016 European Championships she finished third in the 400 m hurdles race. She won this event two years later at the 2018 European Championships.

Her personal best in the 400 m hurdles is 54.06 s set in Doha on 4 October 2019, also representing a new national record.[5] She also holds the national record in the 400 metres with 50.52 s (set in La-Chaux-de-Fonds on 1 July 2018).[6] In addition, she held the national record in the 200 metres for three years with 22.18 s (set in Geneva on 17 July 2016 and improved by Mujinga Kambundji on 24 August 2019).[6]

Léa Sprunger retired from competitive athletics in September 2021.

International championships
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing   Switzerland
2007 World Youth Championships Ostrava, Czech Republic 13th Heptathlon (youth) 4878 pts
European Youth Olympic Festival Belgrade, Serbia 1st 4 × 100 m relay 46.17
2008 World Junior Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 10th Heptathlon 5451 pts
2009 European Junior Championships Novi Sad, Serbia 3rd Heptathlon 5552 pts
2011 European U23 Championships Ostrava, Czech Republic 16th Heptathlon 4808 pts
Universiade Shenzhen, China 18th (sf) 200 m 24.17
7th 4 × 100 m relay 44.65
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 13th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 44.04
2012 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 13th (sf) 200 m 23.49
6th 4 × 100 m relay 43.61
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 30th (h) 200 m 23.27
13th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 43.54
2013 European Indoor Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 17th (h) 400 m 54.45
Universiade Kazan, Russia 11th (sf) 200 m 23.80
5th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 44.721
World Championships Moscow, Russia 12th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 43.21
Jeux de la Francophonie Nice, France 2nd 200 m 23.83
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 45.01
2014 World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 3rd (B) 4 × 100 m relay 43.55
5th 4 × 200 m relay 1:31.75
European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 9th (sf) 200 m 23.12
4th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 42.982
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic 20th (h) 400 m 53.97
World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 8th 4 × 100 m relay 43.74
World Championships Beijing, China 13th (sf) 400 m hurdles 55.83
13th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 43.38
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 3rd 400 m hurdles 55.41
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 25th (h) 400 m hurdles 56.58
2017 European Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 5th 400 m 53.08
World Championships London, United Kingdom 5th 400 m hurdles 54.59
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 6th (h) 400 m 52.463
European Championships Berlin, Germany 1st 400 m hurdles 54.33
2019 European Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 1st 400 m 51.61
6th 4 × 400 m relay 3:33.72
World Relays Yokohama, Japan 7th 4 × 400 m relay 3:32.32
World Championships Doha, Qatar 4th 400 m hurdles 54.06
14th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:30.63
2021 European Indoor Championships Toruń, Poland 10th (sf) 400 m 52.64
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 11th (sf) 400 m hurdles 55.12
12th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:25.90

1Disqualified in the final

2Did not finish in the final

3Disqualified in the semifinals

References
  1. Lea Sprunger - facts Archived 2012-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, London 2012 Official site Archived 2013-02-28 at the UK Government Web Archive. Retrieved on 5 August 2012.
  2. Léa Sprunger – facts, Swiss Olympic Official site (German). Retrieved on 5 August 2012.
  3. BBC Sport – Lea Sprunger, BBC. Retrieved on 5 August 2012.
  4. Léa Sprunger at World Athletics
  5. Léa Sprunger, IAAF. Retrieved on 05 October 2019.
  6. "Swiss Athletics: Schweizer Rekorde Frauen – Outdoor (German)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 October 2019.


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