Gaston Reiff

Gaston Reiff (1949)

Gaston Etienne Reiff (born February 24, 1921 in Braine-l'Alleud , Brabant , Belgium , † May 6, 1992 ibid) was a Belgian athlete who started in long-distance disciplines. Reiff was the first Belgian Olympic champion in an athletics discipline.

His greatest success is the Olympic victory in London in 1948 in the 5000 meter run in a time of 14: 14.2 minutes ahead of the Czech Emil Zátopek . Zátopek later became his best friend.

Reiff set three world records in his career: in 1948 over 2000 meters, 1949 over 3000 meters and 1953 over 2 miles. In 1951 he held all Belgian records from 1000 to 10,000 meters. He set a total of 26 national records and was Belgian champion 24 times. In 1952 he took part in the Olympic Games in Helsinki , which ended disappointingly for him, as he had to give up in the final of the 5000-meter run. In 1958 Reiff ended his career. In his birthplace, Braine-l'Alleud , a street and a stadium now bears his name. He rests in the cemetery of Ophain , a part of the village where he was born .

successes

• 1948: Olympic victory over 5000 m in 14: 17.6 min at the Olympic Games in London
• 1950: Bronze medal over 5000 m in 14: 26.2 min at the European Championships in Brussels .

Web links

• Gaston Reiff in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )