Gaston Reiff

Gaston Reiff
Gaston Reiff in 1949
Personal information
Born24 February 1921
Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium
Died6 May 1992 (aged 71)
Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event1000–10,000 m
ClubUSG
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1500 m – 3:45.2 (1952)
Mile – 4:02.8 (1952)
5000 m – 14:10.8 (1951)
10,000 m – 30:18.8 (1951)[1]
Medal record
Representing  Belgium
Olympic Games
1948 London 5000 m
European Championships
1950 Brussels 5000 m

Gaston Étienne Ghislaine Reiff (24 February 1921 – 6 May 1992) was a Belgian runner. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in the 5000 m event and won it in 1948, defeating Emil Zátopek in the final and becoming the first Belgian track and field athlete to win an Olympic title. He lost to Zátopek at the 1950 European Championships, placing third.[2]

Reiff competed in boxing and football before changing to athletics. Besides his Olympic gold medal he set world records in the 2000 m, 3000 m and 2 miles and won 24 national titles; in 1951 he held Belgian records on distances ranging from 1000 m to 10000 m. A street in Braine-l'Alleud and the town's stadium are named after Reiff in his home town of Braine-l'Alleud.[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaston Reiff.
  1. ^ Gaston Reiff. trackfield.brinkster.net
  2. ^ a b Gaston Reiff Archived 22 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com


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