Ivo Van Damme
Encyclopedia
Ivo Van Damme was a Belgian
middle distance runner.
Van Damme was born in Dendermonde
. He played football
until he was 16, but then switched to athletics. His breakthrough came in 1973, when he placed fourth in the 800 m at the European Junior Championships.
He suffered from mononucleosis
the following season, but returned strong beating Roger Moens
's 1955 national 800 m record. In 1976, he won the European indoor title over this distance, and was one of the favourites for a medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal
. He eventually ended up second in both the 800 and 1500 m, finishing behind Alberto Juantorena
and John Walker
, respectively.
These were his last successes, as Van Damme was killed in a car accident later that year while travelling home from Marseille
in southern France. He was to marry Rita Thijs in 1977. Since 1977, a memorial competition has been held in Brussels to remember him, the Memorial van Damme
. It has become one of the major track and field meetings of the season.
After his death, Belgian athletics got into a long period without athletes with international fame. Together with the athletics event named after him, this turned Van Damme into a national icon reminding of a glorious past and missed opportunity. It wasn't until the arrival of Kim Gevaert
and Tia Hellebaut
that Belgian athletics got a boost again.
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...
middle distance runner.
Van Damme was born in Dendermonde
Dendermonde
Dendermonde is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde proper and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde...
. He played football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
until he was 16, but then switched to athletics. His breakthrough came in 1973, when he placed fourth in the 800 m at the European Junior Championships.
He suffered from mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, widespread viral...
the following season, but returned strong beating Roger Moens
Roger Moens
Roger Moens is a former Belgian middle distance runner. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome he won a silver medal. He also was the person to break Rudolf Harbig's long-standing world record over 800 m.-References:...
's 1955 national 800 m record. In 1976, he won the European indoor title over this distance, and was one of the favourites for a medal at 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...
. He eventually ended up second in both the 800 and 1500 m, finishing behind Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....
and John Walker
John Walker (runner)
Sir John George Walker, KNZM, CBE, is a former middle distance runner from New Zealand.Walker was the first person to run the mile in under 3:50, and won the Olympic Games 1500m in Montreal in 1976....
, respectively.
These were his last successes, as Van Damme was killed in a car accident later that year while travelling home from Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
in southern France. He was to marry Rita Thijs in 1977. Since 1977, a memorial competition has been held in Brussels to remember him, the Memorial van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
. It has become one of the major track and field meetings of the season.
After his death, Belgian athletics got into a long period without athletes with international fame. Together with the athletics event named after him, this turned Van Damme into a national icon reminding of a glorious past and missed opportunity. It wasn't until the arrival of Kim Gevaert
Kim Gevaert
Kim Gevaert 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...
and Tia Hellebaut
Tia Hellebaut
Tia Hellebaut is a Belgian track and field athlete who started out in the heptathlon, but afterwards specialized in the high jump event. She has cleared 2.05 metres both indoors and outdoors....
that Belgian athletics got a boost again.