Hans Van Alphen is a Belgian

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...

 decathlete.

Van Alphen won the silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 at the 2007 Summer Universiade

Athletics at the 2007 Summer Universiade

The athletics competition at the 2007 Summer Universiade was held in the Main Stadium at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, between 9 August and 14 August 2007.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medals table:-Results:******...

 and finished eleventh at the 2007 World Championships

2007 World Championships in Athletics

The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...

. In 2005, he became Belgian champion in the decathlon

Decathlon

The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...

. He was the first Belgian decathlete to pass the 8000 points limit.

In 2008, Van Alphen was a competitor in the decathlon of the Beijing Olympics, but did not finish all the events due to injury.

He was just below the 8000-point mark at the 2010 Hypo-Meeting

2010 Hypo-Meeting

The 36th edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 29 and May 30, 2010 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon event was part of the 2010 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. Oleksiy Kasyanov and Jessica Ennis led the...

, where he came 13th, then he set a personal best score of 8072 points to finish fifth at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

. Continuing in that vein, he set a best in the men's heptathlon at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships

2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships

The 31st European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from 4 to 6 March 2011.A record high of 630 athletes, representing 46 countries, were entered into the three-day competition. Twenty-six track and field events were contested at the...

, taking ninth place with a total of 5938 points.2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships - Men's decathlon final standings. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-06-18. Turning to the outdoor circuit, he improved a number of event bests at the Hypo-Meeting (including the 100 metres

100 metres

The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...

, 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....

 and long jump

Long jump

The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...

) and ended the competition in eleventh place with 8045 points. At the 2011 TNT - Fortuna Meeting

TNT - Fortuna Meeting

The TNT - Fortuna Meeting is an annual track and field combined events meeting which takes place at Sletiště Stadium in Kladno, Czech Republic in mid-June...

 in Kladno

Kladno

Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...

 he put together his best series of results: following a best of 66.21 m in the javelin, he moved up four places in the final 1500 metres

1500 metres

The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

 to take the runner-up spot behind Leonel Suárez

Leonel Suárez

Leonel Suárez is a male decathlete from Cuba. He was the bronze medalist in the event at the 2008 Summer Olympics and improved to the silver medal at the 2009 World Championships...

with a decathlon personal best of 8120 points.

Personal bests

Outdoor

100 m - 11.10 (2011)

400 m - 48.25 (2007)

1500 m - 4:17.51 (2009)

110 m hurdles - 14.60 (2009)

High jump - 2.00 m (2011)

Pole vault - 4.90 m (2011)

Long jump - 7.49 m (2007)

Shot put - 15.68 m (2010)

Discus throw - 47.76 m (2010)

Javelin throw - 66.21 m (2011)

Decathlon - 8200 pts (2011)

Indoor

60 m - 7.20 (2011)

1000 m - 2:37.06 (2011)

60 m hurdles - 8.19 (2006)

High jump - 1.94 m (2011)

Pole vault - 4.90 m (2011)

Long jump - 7.34 m (2006)

Shot put - 15.60 m (2010)

Heptathlon - 5938 pts (2011)

External links

• Results at the 2008 Beijing Olympics