Thiam's coach lashes out at Belgian Athletics after world championships withdrawal
Nafi Thiam withdrew from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Saturday after a disappointing performance in the long jump. Her coach, Michael Van der Plaetsen, lashed out at Belgian Athletics.
"Of course I'm angry," Van der Plaetsen said after announcing the withdrawal. "Normally, I never speak up, but now I'm angry. Everyone is complaining about the federation. Everything is going wrong. Who is going to stop this?"
Thiam publicly clashed with Belgian Athletics just days before the start of the heptathlon competition at the world championships. The three-time Olympic champion accused the federation of barring her from the pre-camp because she refused to sign a code of conduct. Belgian Athletics denied the claim.
Eight place
After a promising start on Friday, Thiam dropped to eighth place on Saturday following a poor performance in the long jump. Van der Plaetsen said the dispute affected her performance. "That's 99 percent of it. The other one percent is probably that she's not as physically fit as she was a year ago," he said.
"I am ashamed to be Belgian"
Thiam was not allowed to bring her personal physiotherapist to the championships and had to pay for her own flight and accommodations. "I am ashamed to be Belgian," said Van der Plaetsen. "Coaches from other countries apologized to me for the poor conditions in Belgium."
"The federation says that everyone is equal before the law, but this isn't a school trip"
"The federation says that everyone is equal before the law, but this isn't a school trip," he said. "This is top-level sports; this is elite. This is the story of a very small country with a very big athlete, and look how it ends."
Flipping the switch
Shortly before deciding to withdraw, an emotional Thiam told the press that she had been unable to enjoy the competition. "I just wanted to have fun and do what I love. But that wasn't the case at all," she said.
Thiam said that the conflict with the federation had affected her. "When you start a competition with so much negativity, it's hard to flip the switch during the event and tell yourself, 'I'm enjoying myself, and this is great'."
Dark cloud
"It was really a struggle on the first day," said Thiam. "I had so many negative thoughts about quitting. I tried to stay positive, but a dark cloud hung over me throughout the competition, and that was hard," she said.
"It was the fatigue from the successive trials that got the better of me"
A disappointing final 200 metres on Friday was "a serious blow to morale, which wasn't really good to begin with," she said. "It was the fatigue from the successive trials that got the better of me."
Thiam, who has been at the top of her sport for ten years, was reluctant to discuss the future. "It's too early for that. I have to come to terms with these last two days first. Then we'll see. I don't know. I don't want to look too far ahead," she said.
Nafi Thiam looks dejected after the long jump event in the women's heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan on 20 September 2025 © BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
Related news
