| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | 3000 metres steeplechase | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 3000 m s'chase: 8:14.40 (Brussels, 2025) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
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Tim Van de Velde (born 1 February 2000) is a Belgian steeplechaser.[1]
Career
He won the gold medal in the 2000 metres steeplechase at the 2016 European Athletics U18 Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.[2] In August 2017, Van de Velde set a new Belgian junior record for the 2000m steeplechase with a time of i5:43:52 in Kappelen, breaking the 40-year-old record held by Peter Daenens from 1977.[3] He placed seventh in the 2018 World Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.[4]
He won the senior Belgian Athletics Championships in 2021 in the 3000 metres steeplechase in Brussels.[5] He competed for Belgium at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, but was forced to retire from his heat after suffering a sprained ankle.[6]
In May 2024, Van de Velde qualified for the European Championships at the Meeting Iberoamericano in Huelva, Spain with a time of 8:18.68 in the 3000m steeplechase, a significant improvement on his personal best which previously stood at 8:24.56. With the time, he also moved up to fourth on the Belgian all-time list.[7] He subsequently competed for Belgium at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, but was forced to retire from his heat after suffering a fall.[8]
He won the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2025 Belgian Athletics Championships in Brussels in early August.[9] He set a new personal best of 8:14.40 in the 2025 Diamond League at the 2025 Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium in August 2025.[10] He placed ninth in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on 28 August.[11]
In September 2025, he competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[12][13][14] During the race, after Colombia’s Carlos San Martin was injured during a fall, as they approached the finish line, Van de Velde decided to turn back to help San Martin to cross the finish line – fully aware that it might lead to his disqualification – in a true demonstration of sportsmanship and humanity. For this he was awarded in November 2025 World Athletics's International Fair Play Award.[15]
References
- ^ "Tim Van de Velde". World Athletics. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "Tbilisi European U18 Championships". World Athletics. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "BR STEEPLECHASER TIM VAN DE VELDE". Atletiek.be. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "IAAF World U20 Championships". World Athletics. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "Belgian Championships". World Athletics. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ Augustijns, Milan (16 July 2022). "WK Eugene: Tim Van de Velde verzwikt voet en sneuvelt in reeksen". atni.be. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Atleet Tim Van de Velde gekwalificeerd voor EK met persoonlijk record". rtv.be. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Tim Van de Velde valt (uit) op 3000m steeple op EK atletiek". rtv.be. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Belgian Championships". World Athletics. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "Results - Brussels Diamond League 2025". Watch Athletics. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ Collett, Jasmine (28 August 2025). "Results - Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League 2025". Watch Athletics. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 18 Sep 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Belgian Athletics maakt volledige selectie WK Tokio bekend: Anne Zagré mee met Rockets". atni.be. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "Final World Ranking earns Belgium seven extra places for World Championships". Belganewsagency. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ "Belgium's Van de Velde wins International Fair Play Award". World Athletics. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
