Belgian mixed relay team wins bronze at World Athletics Championships
Belgium claimed its first medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Saturday, with the mixed 4x400-metre relay team securing bronze.
Dylan Borlée, Imke Vervaet, Alexander Doom and Helena Ponette finished third in 3:10.61. Earlier in the day, the team had won their heat in 3:10.37 with Jonathan Sacoor instead of Doom. The Belgian record still stands at 3:09.36.
In the final, the United States took gold with 3:08.80, while the Netherlands — led by star athlete Femke Bol — claimed silver in 3:09.96. Poland narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing just two hundredths of a second behind Belgium.
"This is the pinnacle of my career, winning a medal on the world stage," said Imke Vervaet after the race. "At the start, we didn’t really believe it was possible, but in the end, we pulled it off."
Historic medal
It is the first time Belgium’s mixed relay squad has won a medal at a major outdoor tournament. They narrowly missed out in recent years, finishing fifth at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, fourth at the 2024 European Championships in Rome, and fourth again at the Paris Olympics.
For Belgium, this marks the twelfth medal in its World Championships history. No Belgian athlete reached the podium at the previous event in 2023, despite several top-eight finishes.
The Championships run until 21 September. Heptathlete Nafi Thiam, competing on 19 and 20 September, remains Belgium’s strongest contender for a gold medal.
© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
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