Paulien Couckuyt (born 19 May 1997) is a Belgian track and field athlete who specializes in middle-distance running and 400 metres hurdles.[1]
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| Nationality | Belgian | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 May 1997 Antwerp, Belgium | ||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Career
editIn July 2019 she won the gold medal in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Gävle, Sweden posting a personal best of 56.17s.[2][3][4] In September Couckuyt ran another personal best in the 400 metres hurdles at the Belgian Athletics Championships posting a time of 55.46s and with this time, she qualified for the 2019 World Athletics Championships.[5][6] In October, she represented Belgium at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, competing in women's 400 metres hurdles and women's 4 × 400 metres relay.[7][8]
In May 2021, Couckuyt represented Belgium in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2021 World Athletics Relays in Chorzów, Poland where the Belgium team finished 7th in the final.[9][10] Still in May, she ran a new personal best at the IFAM meeting in Oordegem, Belgium, and with a time of 55.37s met the qualification criterium for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[11][12] At the 2020 Summer Olympic Games she finished 3th in her round 1 heat, setting a personal best and new national record of 54.90s,[13] and proceeded to the semi-final where she finished 3th and was eliminated setting again a personal best and new national record of 54.47s.[14] She also ran in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay with the Belgium team finishing 7th in the final.[15]
In July 2022 she ran in final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon finishing 6th.[16][17] She also participated in the women's 400 metres hurdles reaching the semi-final.[18] Barely a month later, she ran in the heats of the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany but was eliminated in the heats.[19] In november 2022, while in training camp with Team Belgium, in Belek, Turkey, she incurred a serious injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of her left knee that required an operation and sidelined her for most of the 2023 season.[20][21]
Having missed most of the 2023 season through injury, she spent spring and summer of 2024 chasing the automatic qualification mark of 54.85s for the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 Summer Olympics. On the last day of the Olympic qualification period, on June 30, she ran a 54.94s at the Belgian Athletics Championships, still not meeting the automatic qualification mark, but the time proved good enough to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France via the World Athletics Rankings.[22] At the Olympics, she reached the semi-final stage.[23]
References
edit- ^ "Paulien Couckuyt Athlete Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Reekie completes the middle distance double in Gävle". www.european-athletics.com. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "EK Beloften: Paulien Couckuyt stoomt naar GOUD op 400m horden!". www.atni.be (in Dutch). 14 July 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Euro espoirs d'athlétisme: médaille d'or et record personnel pour Paulien Couckuyt sur 400 mètres haies". Le Soir (in French). 14 July 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Olympische limiet voor Hanne Claes, Paulien Couckuyt knalt naar WK-limiet". www.atni.be (in Dutch). 1 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Paulien Couckuyt qualifiée pour Doha sur 400m haies, Hanne Claes réussit le minimum pour les JO". La Libre Belgique (in French). 1 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "400 METRES HURDLES WOMEN. IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "4x400 Metres Relay women. IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019". iaaf.org. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "4x400 Metres Relay women. World Athletics Relays, Chorzów 2019". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Relais Mondiaux - Le relais mixte 4e, les Cheetahs 7e et les Tornados 8e". Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee (in French). 2 May 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "IFAM MAAKT REPUTATIE WAAR MET 8 NIEUWE LIMIETEN". www.atletiek.be (in Dutch). 30 May 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "IFAM Oordegem: Paulien Couckuyt signe le minima pour les JO de Tokyo sur 400m haies". Le Soir (in French). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "400 METRES HURDLES WOMEN. OLYMPIC GAMES, Tokyo 2020". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "400 METRES HURDLES WOMEN. OLYMPIC GAMES, Tokyo 2020". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "The XXXII Olympic Games - Women's 4x400 Metres Relay". World Athletics. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 - 4x400 Metres Relay women". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "Belgian Tornados halen brons op 4x400 meter, Cheetahs zesde" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 - 400 Metres hurdles women". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "European Athletics Championships - Olympiastadion, München (GER) - Women's 400 Metres Hurdles". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Paulien Couckuyt maanden buiten strijd door zware knieblessure". www.atni.be (in Dutch). 18 December 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Catastrophe pour Paulien Couckuyt, opérée des ligaments croisés !". La DH Les Sports+ (in French). 18 December 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Road to Paris 24". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "WOMEN'S 400M HURDLES SEMI-FINAL RESULTS". www.olympics.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
