Bruno Brokken
Encyclopedia
Bruno Brokken is a former Belgian
high jump
er. In 1976 he got the bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships
with a jump of 2.19 meter.
, ending the six consecutive titles for Eddy Merckx
.
He tried his hand at other sports like soccer, basketball
and especially judo
before starting with athletics. He quit as a judoka when he was 15 years old with a brown belt
when his father founded Wilrijk Atletiek Club, an athletics club. After trying his hand at the javelin
, he switched to the high jump. A year later, he jumped over 2.04 meter using the straddle technique
.
Only seventeen years old, he won the Belgian Championships in 1971. He finished as 8th in the final of the 1974 European Championships in Athletics
in Rome
. 1975 saw him beak the Belgian indoor record with 2.21 meter and the Belgian outdoor record with 2.24 meter. After winning bronze at the 1976 European Indoors, he was selected for the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal
, but did not compete due to a last minute knee injury. An operation on his knee failed, and his sports career was over when he was only 23 years old.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er. In 1976 he got the bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships
1976 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 7th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Munich, a city in West Germany, in February 1976.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...
with a jump of 2.19 meter.
Biography
Bruno Brokken was the 1975 Belgian Sportsman of the yearBelgian Sportsman of the year
The Belgian Sportsman of the Year is elected at the end of each year, annually since 1967. A Belgian Sportswoman of the Year title has been given out since 1975...
, ending the six consecutive titles for Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
.
He tried his hand at other sports like soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and especially judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
before starting with athletics. He quit as a judoka when he was 15 years old with a brown belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
when his father founded Wilrijk Atletiek Club, an athletics club. After trying his hand at the javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, he switched to the high jump. A year later, he jumped over 2.04 meter using the straddle technique
Straddle technique
The straddle technique was the dominant style in the High Jump before the development of the Fosbury Flop. One version is called the western roll....
.
Only seventeen years old, he won the Belgian Championships in 1971. He finished as 8th in the final of the 1974 European Championships in Athletics
1974 European Championships in Athletics
The 11th European Athletics Championships was held from 2 September to 8 September 1974 in the Stadio Olimpico of Rome, the capital of Italy.-Track:1969 |1971 |1974 |1978 |1982-Field:1969 |1971 |1974 |1978 |1982-Track:1969 |1971 |1974 |1978 |1982...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. 1975 saw him beak the Belgian indoor record with 2.21 meter and the Belgian outdoor record with 2.24 meter. After winning bronze at the 1976 European Indoors, he was selected for the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, but did not compete due to a last minute knee injury. An operation on his knee failed, and his sports career was over when he was only 23 years old.