Kim Gevaert

Kim Gevaert

File:Kim Gevaert.jpg

Medal record Representing Belgium Women’s athletics Olympic Games 2008 Beijing 4x100 m relay World Championships 2007 Osaka 4x100 m relay World Indoor Championships 2004 Budapest 60 m 2006 Moscow 60 m European Championships 2006 Gothenburg 100 m 2006 Gothenburg 200 m 2002 Munich 100 m 2002 Munich 200 m European Indoor Championships 2002 Vienna 60 m 2005 Madrid 60 m 2007 Birmingham 60 m Summer Universiade 1999 Mallorca 200 m 2001 Beijing 200 m Continental Cup 2006 Athens 200 m European U23 Championships 1999 Gothenburg 100 m

Kim Gevaert (born 5 August 1978 in Leuven) is a former sprint athlete from Belgium.

Career

Her closest brush with a world title came in running 4/100 of a second behind three-time champion Gail Devers at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. At the next World Indoor Championships, in 2006, she won the bronze medal in a national record time of 7.11 seconds.

On 9 August 2006 Gevaert won the 100 metres at the European Championships in 11.06 seconds. Two days later, she also won the final of the 200 metres, which was celebrated together with fellow Belgian athlete Tia Hellebaut, who had won gold in the high jump final only minutes before Kim Gevaert. With her first medal, Gevaert became the first Belgian gold medalist at the European Championships in 35 years and the first woman to win the sprint double since 1994.

At the 2007 World Championships she won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay, together with teammates Hanna Mariën, Olivia Borlée and Élodie Ouédraogo. With 42.75 seconds the team set a new Belgian record. A few days earlier as best European athlete she had finished 5th in a thrilling 100 m final.

On her 30th birthday, three days before the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Gevaert announced that she would retire at the end of the 2008 season.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Gevaert was in the best condition of her life. She reached the 100 m semifinals by ending 3rd in her quarterfinals, but after missing her start she finished sixth and failed to proceed to the finals. In the finals of the 4×100 m for women a couple of days later, Gevaert ran the final leg for the Belgian team and finished in second behind the Russians to bring home the silver medal in a new Belgian record of 42.54 seconds.

On 5 September 2008, Kim Gevaert ended her career running the 100 m at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium, a race which she won in 11.25.

Major achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing Belgium
1996	World Junior Championships	Sydney, Australia	10th (sf)	100m	11.74
			7th	200m	23.88 (wind: -2.2m/s)
1999	European U23 Championships	Göteborg, Sweden	3rd	100m	11.39 (wind: -0.2m/s)
			5th	200m	23.08 (wind: -0.5m/s)
2002	European Indoor Championship	Vienna, Austria	60 m	1st	7.16
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	100 m	2nd	11.22
			200 m	2nd	22.53
2003	1st IAAF World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	200 m	4th	22.95
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	60 m	2nd	7.12 NR
2005	European Indoor Championships	Madrid, Spain	60 m	1st	7.16
2006	World Indoor Championships	Moscow, Russia	60 m	3rd	7.11 NR
	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	100 m	1st	11.06 (First Belgian woman to win a gold medal in this event.)
			200 m	1st	22.68
2007	European Indoor Championship	Birmingham, England	60 m	1st	7.12 (7.10 in the semi-final NR)
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	100 m	5th	11.05 (First European woman)
			4 x 100 m	3rd	42.75 NR
2008	2008 Summer Olympics	Beijing Olympic Stadium, Peking	4 x 100 m	2nd	42.54 NR
	Memorial Van Damme	Brussels, Belgium	100 m	1st	11.25 (last event before her retirement)

Personal best

• 60 metres: 7.10 seconds (Belgian Record)
• 100 metres: 11.04 seconds (Wind: 2.0/Place: Brussels/Date:09 07 2006) (Belgian Record)
• 200 metres: 22.20 seconds (Brussels/09 07 2006) (Belgian Record)
• 400 metres: 51.45 seconds (-/Gent/08 05 2005) (Belgian Record)

External links

• Kim Gevaert profile at IAAF
• Kim Gevaert Pictures
• Kim Gevaert's website

Awards
Preceded by Kim Clijsters	Belgian Sports Personality of the Year 2004	Succeeded by Tom Boonen