Léa Sprunger (born 5 March 1990) is a Swiss former track and field athlete. 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 400 m and 400 m hurdles of 50.52 s (2018) and 54.06 s (2019) are the Swiss records. She finished fifth in the 400 m hurdles final at the 2017 World Championships, and went on to win the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles at the 2018 European Championships.
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.Léa Sprunger, IAAF. Retrieved on 05 October 2019. She also holds the national record in the 400 metres with 50.52 s (set in La-Chaux-de-Fonds on 1 July 2018). 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).
Léa Sprunger retired from competitive athletics in September 2021.
International championships Representing 2007World Youth ChampionshipsOstrava, Czech Republic13thHeptathlon (youth)4878 ptsEuropean Youth Olympic FestivalBelgrade, Serbia1st4 × 100 m relay46.172008World Junior ChampionshipsBydgoszcz, Poland10thHeptathlon5451 pts2009European Junior ChampionshipsNovi Sad, Serbia3rdHeptathlon5552 pts2011European U23 ChampionshipsOstrava, Czech Republic16thHeptathlon4808 ptsUniversiadeShenzhen, China18th (sf)200 m24.177th4 × 100 m relay44.65World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea13th (h)4 × 100 m relay44.042012European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland13th (sf)200 m23.496th4 × 100 m relay43.61Olympic GamesLondon, United Kingdom30th (h)200 m23.2713th (h)4 × 100 m relay43.542013European Indoor ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden17th (h)400 m54.45UniversiadeKazan, Russia11th (sf)200 m23.805th (h)4 × 100 m relay44.721World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia12th (h)4 × 100 m relay43.21Jeux de la FrancophonieNice, France2nd200 m23.832nd4 × 100 m relay45.012014World RelaysNassau, Bahamas3rd (B)4 × 100 m relay43.555th4 × 200 m relay1:31.75European ChampionshipsZürich, Switzerland9th (sf)200 m23.124th (h)4 × 100 m relay42.9822015European Indoor ChampionshipsPrague, Czech Republic20th (h)400 m53.97World RelaysNassau, Bahamas8th4 × 100 m relay43.74World ChampionshipsBeijing, China13th (sf)400 m hurdles55.8313th (h)4 × 100 m relay43.382016European ChampionshipsAmsterdam, Netherlands3rd400 m hurdles55.41Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil25th (h)400 m hurdles56.582017European Indoor ChampionshipsBelgrade, Serbia5th400 m53.08World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom5th400 m hurdles54.592018World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom6th (h)400 m52.463European ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany1st400 m hurdles54.332019European Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom1st400 m51.616th4 × 400 m relay3:33.72World RelaysYokohama, Japan7th4 × 400 m relay3:32.32World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar4th400 m hurdles54.0614th (h)4 × 400 m relay3:30.632021European Indoor ChampionshipsToruń, Poland10th (sf)400 m52.64Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan11th (sf)400 m hurdles55.1212th (h)4 × 400 m relay3:25.90 1Disqualified in the final
2Did not finish in the final
3Disqualified in the semifinals
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