The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end with an impressive closing ceremony in Paris on Sunday evening. Despite some disappointment, particular for our hockey teams and women’s basketball team, Team Belgium put in a strong performance at the Paris games. The medals tally of 10 is the greatest number of medals won by Belgium in 100 years.
The Olympic Games could have started better for Team Belgium. The cyclists Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert took gold and bronze respectively in the time trial on day 1 of the Games.
A week later Remco Evenepoel won a second gold medal in the men’s road race.
A day later Lotte Kopecky took bronze in the women’s road race.
In the meantime, Gabriella Willems surprised many by taking bronze in the judo.
The last three days of the Olympics saw Belgium’s medal tally double. There was bronze fort he cyclist Fabio Van den Bossche in the Omnium.
For the third successive Olympic Games Nafi Thiam (photo above) took gold in the women’s heptathlon.
Another Belgian, Noor Vidts took bronze.
Elsewhere, Sarah Chaari won the bronze medal in the -67kg taekwondo competition.
The marathon runner Bashir Abdi (photo below) brought the number of medals won by Team Belgium to 10 when he won silver in the marathon.
The last time that Belgium won 10 or more medals at an Olympic Games was in 1924. Coincidentally the 1924 Olympics were also held in Paris. Then Belgium’s athletes won a total of 13 medals.
The largest number of medals ever won by Belgium at an Olympics was in 1920, the first and only time that the Olympics were held in Belgium. At the 1920 Antwerp Olympics Belgium won no fewer than 36 medals.