Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers has backed European Athletics’ controversial proposal to rewrite all world records set before 2005, the Daily Mail said on Wednesday.

The body has proposed making the change following the recent doping scandal which has threatened the credibility of many records.

Schippers, who ran the third fastest 200 metres in history when she won gold at the 2015 world championships, would become world record-holder in the women’s 200 metres if the proposal goes ahead.

The 24-year-old told the paper: ‘The difficult thing is that everyone knows that the 1980s are not the best years in track and field yet most of the world records are from the 1980s.

‘I think it’s really good if we can skip that period and have a cleaner sport. Some of those world records — they are just too difficult to run for that period… Normally you think that the tracks are faster now, the footwear is better, the athletes are better. We hope we are better now than back then.’

Only Florence Griffith Joyner, who set the world record of 21.34 in 1988, and Marion Jones, who ran 21.62 in 1998, have run faster than Schippers.

Schippers will take on double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica over 200 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Doha, Qatar on Friday.