Belgium win bronze in mixed relay at World Athletics Championships
Belgium claimed their first medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Saturday, with the mixed 4x400m 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 won their heat in 3:10.37 with Jonathan Sacoor instead of Doom. The Belgian record still stands at 3:09.36.
The US took gold in 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 Vervaet. "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 at the Paris Olympics.
This is the 12th medal in Belgium's World Championships history. No Belgian athlete reached the podium at the previous event in 2023, despite several top-eight finishes.
The event 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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