Belgian men's 4 × 400 metres relay team

The Belgian men's 4 × 400 metres relay team is the relay team of the Belgian national athletics team that has given the highest number of medals in the international competitions, mainly thanks to the support of the Borlée family.[1]

 Belgium
Olympic Games
Appearances7
Medals0
World Championmships
Appearances5
Medals1
Medal record
Athletics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Championships 0 0 1
World Indoor Championships 1 1 1
World Relays 0 0 2
European Championships 3 0 1
European Indoor Championships 2 1 1
Total 6 2 6
From left Jonathan Sacoor, Dylan Borlée and the twins Kevin and Jonathan Borlée

History

The Belgian men's 4 × 400 meters relay team has won 13 medals at the international athletics competitions, five World Championships and eight (five gold) at the European Championships. Of these medals seven were won in outdoor competitions (three gold) and six in indoor competitions (two gold).

At the Olympic Games the team's best result was 4th place twice.

Borlée family
Jacques Borlée.

The progenitor of the Borlee family is Jacques (born 1957), bronze medalist at the 1983 European Indoor Championships in Budapest on 200 m, while his first wife Edith Demaertelaere (born 1964) was a good sprinter with a personal best of 23.89. Six of his seven children are athletes (the first five born from the first marriage with Edith, the last two born from a second marriage, but now only Rayane (born 1999) is an athlete).[2]

The eldest daughter Olivia (born 1986) won the silver medal at the Olympics and the world bronze at the 2007 Osaka World Championships with the 4 × 100 m relay and the other daughter Alizia (born 1991) was also a decent sprinter. The four sons are all 400 m specialists, the twins Jonathan and Kevin (born 1988), both Olympic finalists in London 2012, Dylan (born 1992) and the youngest Rayane. In addition, Jacques' older brother Jean-Pierre (born 1947) was also a sprinter.[3]

In 2015 the Belgian men's 4 × 400 meters relay team won the Belgian National Sports Merit Award (Trophée national du Mérite sportif) award assigned to the components Dylan Borlée, Jonathan Borlée, Kevin Borlée, Antoine Gillet et Julien Watrin.[4]

Olympic results
The European champions of Helsinki 2012, from left: Jente Bouckaert, Antoine Gillet, Kevin and Jonathan Borlée.
YearCompetitionVenueRankTimeNotes
Olympic Games[5]
1920 Olympic Games Antwerp 6th 3:24.9
1928 Olympic Games Amsterdam Heat DNF
1952 Olympic Games Helsinki Heat 3:15.8
1960 Olympic Games Rome Heat 3:15.26
1980 Olympic Games Moscow Heat DNF
2008 Olympic Games Beijing 4th 2:59.37 NR
2012 Olympic Games London 5th 3:01.83 [note 1]
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 4th 2:58.52
2020 Olympic Games Tokyo 4th 2:57.88 NR

Medals
Outdoor
YearCompetitionVenueRankTeamTimeNotes
2010 European Championships Barcelona 3rd Arnaud Destatte, Kevin Borlée, Cédric Van Branteghem, Jonathan Borlée, Antoine Gillet, Nils Duerinck 3:02.60
2012 European Championships Helsinki 1st Antoine Gillet, Jonathan Borlée, Jente Bouckaert, Kevin Borlée, Nils Duerinck 3:01.09 EL
2015 World Relays Nassau 3rd Dylan Borlée, Julien Watrin, Jonathan Borlée, Kevin Borlée 2:59.33 NR
2016 European Championships Amsterdam 1st Julien Watrin, Jonathan Borlée, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée, Robin Vanderbemden 3:01.10 EL
2018 European Championships Berlin 1st Jonathan Sacoor, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée, Jonathan Borlée 2:59.47 EL
2019 World Relays Yokohama 3rd Dylan Borlée, Robin Vanderbemden, Jonathan Borlée, Jonathan Sacoor, Julien Watrin 3:02.70 SB
World Championships Doha 3rd Jonathan Sacoor, Robin Vanderbemden, Dylan Borlée, Kevin Borlée, Julien Watrin 2:58.78 SB

See also

Notes
  1. In heats run a better crono (3:01.70)

References
  1. "The Borlee family: From Moscow 1980 to Tokyo 2020". olympics.com. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. "Mais qui est Rayane, le quatrième frère Borlée ?" (in French). rtbf.be. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2021. Rayane, leur petit frère de 19 ans. Il n’a pas la même mère que les trois ainés.
  3. "FRATELLI BORLEE L'ATLETICA IN FAMIGLIA" (in Italian). runtoday.it. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  4. "LE 4X400M MASCULIN REÇOIT LE TROPHÉE NATIONAL DU MÉRITE SPORTIF" (in French). lbfa.be. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  5. "Belgium in Athletics at the Summer Olynpics". olympedia.org. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
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