Athletics World Cup: Belgian Tornados win bronze in 4x400 metres

The Belgian Tornados won the bronze medal in the 4x400 metres final on Sunday (local time) on the final day of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA. It is the third medal for Team Belgium this year, after Bashir Abdi's bronze in the marathon and Nafi Thiam's gold in the heptathlon.

Dylan Borlée, Julien Watrin, Alexander Doom and last runner Kevin Borlée finished in 2:58.72, good for the bronze. The United States won the gold in 2:56.17. Jamaica took the silver with a time of 2:58.58.

Top time

The Belgian Tornados have a top time of 2:57.88, which Alexander Doom, Jonathan Sacoor, Dylan Borlée and Kévin Borlée clocked at the Tokyo Olympics last year. Julien Watrin, Dylan Borlée, Jonathan Sacoor and final runner Kevin Borlée clocked the fourth time (3:01.96) in the series on Saturday.

The Tornados, who crowned themselves indoor world champions in Belgrade earlier this year, captured the bronze medal in the 4x400 metres in Doha in 2019. The Belgian men completed their 29th final at a major championship on Sunday. Fourteen times in the past that resulted in a medal, now they take their fifteenth one.

Belgian Cheetahs

The Belgian Cheetahs finished sixth in the women's 4x400 metres final with a time of 3:26.29. The United States won gold with 3:17.79, followed by Jamaica with 3:20.74 and Great Britain in third place with 3:22.64.

This performance means that Helena Ponette, Imke Vervaet, Paulien Couckuyt and Camille Laus set a Belgian top time. At last year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Belgian Cheetahs ran the distance in 3:23.96, which earned them a seventh place. Naomi Van den Broeck, Imke Vervaet, Helena Ponette and Camille Laus ran 3:28.02 in the series on Saturday, good for fourth place overall.

(AHU)

© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS - Illustration picture shows the podium ceremony of the Belgian Tornados during the 19th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, Sunday 24 July 2022. The Worlds are taking place from 15 to 24 July, after being postponed in 2021 due to the ongoing corona virus pandemic.