Willy Polleunis
Encyclopedia
Willy Polleunis is a retired male long-distance runner from Belgium
, who competed for his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972
in Munich
, West Germany
. There he placed fourteenth in the men's 10,000 metres final (see, for example, Antero Raevuori, ed., "The Gilded Spikes" / Kullatut piikkarit, published in Finland in 1976). He won the silver medal
in the men's 3000 metres
at the 1973 European Indoor Championships
in Rotterdam
, Netherlands
. In the 1974 European Athletics Championships in Rome
, Italy
, his bad performance in the outdoor major championships continued: he finished fifteenth in the 5000 metres
final.
At last he ran more according to his talents in the Montreal Summer Olympics
5000 metres final, where he placed sixth, after a tremendous final kick. At the start of the final lap, he still had run in tenth place. He possibly ran the final lap slightly faster than the winner, Finland
's Lasse Viren
. See also videos on the 1976 Olympic 5000m on YouTube. Ironically, he had started both the Munich Olympics 10,000 metres final and the Rome European Championships 5000 metres final courageously and quickly, but had then exhausted himself rapidly. See, for example, the following videos on YouTube: 1972 Olympic 10K part 1 and 1972 Olympic 10K part 2 "1974 European Championships 5000m part 1," "1974 European Championships 5000m part 2").
Polleunis could not repeat his stunning Olympic success in the 1978 European Athletics Championships in Prague
, then Czechoslovakia
.
There he had the misfortune of running in the fastest qualifying heat of 5000 metres, and the tough early pace totally exhausted him. He ran the distance in over 14 minutes.
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...
, who competed for his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. There he placed fourteenth in the men's 10,000 metres final (see, for example, Antero Raevuori, ed., "The Gilded Spikes" / Kullatut piikkarit, published in Finland in 1976). He 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....
in the men's 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
at the 1973 European Indoor Championships
1973 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 4th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in 1973 in Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-References:* at GBR Athletics* at GBR Athletics* at Die Leichtatletik-Statistik-Seite...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. In the 1974 European Athletics Championships 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...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, his bad performance in the outdoor major championships continued: he finished fifteenth in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
final.
At last he ran more according to his talents in the Montreal 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...
5000 metres final, where he placed sixth, after a tremendous final kick. At the start of the final lap, he still had run in tenth place. He possibly ran the final lap slightly faster than the winner, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's Lasse Viren
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...
. See also videos on the 1976 Olympic 5000m on YouTube. Ironically, he had started both the Munich Olympics 10,000 metres final and the Rome European Championships 5000 metres final courageously and quickly, but had then exhausted himself rapidly. See, for example, the following videos on YouTube: 1972 Olympic 10K part 1 and 1972 Olympic 10K part 2 "1974 European Championships 5000m part 1," "1974 European Championships 5000m part 2").
Polleunis could not repeat his stunning Olympic success in the 1978 European Athletics Championships in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, then Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
There he had the misfortune of running in the fastest qualifying heat of 5000 metres, and the tough early pace totally exhausted him. He ran the distance in over 14 minutes.