Belgium at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Belgian athletes had participated in every Summer Olympic Games since the nation's first appearance, except for the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. The team included 108 athletes, with 70 men and 38 women, taking part in nineteen different sports.

Belgium left Rio de Janeiro with six medals, two of each kind, matching their total from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. One of the biggest highlights was the first gold medal of the Games, won by Greg Van Avermaet in the men's road race. The Belgian men also achieved a historic first by winning a silver medal in the men's field hockey tournament after almost a century.

Other medal winners included Nafissatou Thiam, who won gold in the women's heptathlon by finishing just ahead of the defending champion from Great Britain. Pieter Timmers brought home a silver medal, becoming the first Belgian swimmer to reach the Olympic podium in many years. Two bronze medals were earned by judoka Dirk Van Tichelt and track cyclist Jolien D'Hoore.

Medalists

Main article: 2016 Summer Olympics medal table

Belgium had athletes competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics, and some of them won medals. The list of these athletes and their achievements can be found below.

Competitors

The Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee sent 108 athletes to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the second-largest group Belgium had ever sent to the Olympics, just a few athletes fewer than in London 2012. Most of the athletes were men, especially because of the men's field hockey team and many men in judo, swimming, and track and field.

Belgium tried new sports like golf for the first time and returned to sports like fencing and archery after many years. Belgian female gymnasts also competed in the team all-around for the first time in almost 70 years. Track and field had the most athletes, with 26, while some sports like archery and rowing had just one athlete each.

The team included athletes who had won medals before, like Charline Van Snick in judo and Evi Van Acker in sailing. There were also exciting new athletes, such as the young gymnast Senna Deriks, who was 15 years old, and experienced rider Joris Vanspringel, who was 53. Karin Donckers stood out as the most experienced, having competed in six Olympics, making her the first woman from Belgium to do so.

Archery

Main article: Archery at the 2016 Summer Olympics

One Belgian archer earned a spot in the men's individual event at the Olympics by finishing in the top five at the 2016 Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey. This marked Belgium's first return to Olympic archery since the [/wiki/2000_Summer_Olympics].

Athlete	Event	Ranking round		Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / BM
		Score	Seed	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Robin Ramaekers	Men's individual	654	42	Tyack (AUS) W 6–2	Rodríguez (ESP) L 0–6	did not advance

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgian athletes took part in many running and field events at the 2016 Summer Olympics. They competed in track and road races for both men and women, as well as in field events like throwing and jumping. There were also combined events, where athletes competed in several different tests of skill.

Athlete	Event	100H	HJ	SP	200 m	LJ	JT	800 m	Final	Rank
Nafissatou Thiam	Result	13.56	1.98	14.91	25.10	6.58	53.13	2:16.54	6810
	Points	1041	1211	855	878	1033	921	871

Badminton

Main article: Badminton at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent two badminton players to the 2016 Summer Olympics. Siblings Yuhan and Lianne Tan earned their spots by ranking high enough in the world. Their places were decided using the BWF World Rankings from May 5, 2016.

Athlete	Event	Group Stage				Elimination	Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Final / BM
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Yuhan Tan	Men's singles	Zilberman (ISR) L (20–22, 12–21)	Chou T-c (TPE) L (14–21, 8–21)	—N/a	3	did not advance
Lianne Tan	Women's singles	Wang (USA) L (17–21, 22–20, 14–21)	Li Xr (CHN) L (11–21, 11–21)	Santos (POR) W (21–16, 21–18)	3	did not advance

Canoeing

Main article: Canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Sprint

Belgium got a special spot in the men’s K-1 1000 m race at the Olympics. They were the next highest-ranked country that hadn’t already qualified, based on results from the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)

Cycling

Main article: Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgian cyclists took part in several events at the 2016 Summer Olympics. They qualified for places in road racing based on their rankings in international competitions. The women’s road team was announced on June 9, 2016, and the men’s team joined them later in July.

They also qualified for spots in track cycling, mountain biking, and BMX. Each team was chosen based on their strong performances in earlier races of that year.

Road

Belgian riders qualified for the following quota places in the men's and women's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 15 final national ranking in the 2015 UCI World Tour (for men) and top 22 in the UCI World Ranking (for women). The women's road cycling team was named to the Olympic roster on June 9, 2016, with the men joining them on July 22.

Men

Women

Track

Following the completion of the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Belgian riders have accumulated spots in both the men's and women's omnium, by virtue of their final individual UCI Olympic rankings in those events.

Omnium

Mountain biking

Belgian mountain bikers qualified for two men's and one women's quota place into the Olympic cross-country race, as a result of the nation's ninth-place finish for men and twelfth for women, respectively, in the UCI Olympic Ranking List of May 25, 2016. The mountain biking team was named to the Olympic roster on June 9, 2016.

BMX

Belgian riders qualified for one women's quota place in BMX at the Olympics, as a result of the nation's top three finish for women in the UCI BMX Individual Ranking List of May 31, 2016. BMX cyclist Elke Vanhoof was named to the Olympic roster on June 9, 2016.

Athlete	Event	Time	Rank
Laurens De Plus	Road race	did not finish
Philippe Gilbert		6:23.23	42
Serge Pauwels		6:16.17	22
Greg Van Avermaet		6:10.05
Tim Wellens	Road race	did not finish
	Time trial	1:16:49.71	20

Athlete	Event	Scratch race		Individual pursuit			Elimination race		Time trial			Flying lap			Points race		Total points	Rank
		Rank	Points	Time	Rank	Points	Rank	Points	Time	Rank	Points	Time	Rank	Points	Points	Rank
Jasper De Buyst	Men's omnium	18	6	4:36.246	16	12	15	10	DNS			DNS			DNS		28	DNF
Jolien D'Hoore	Women's omnium	3	36	3:30.202	3	36	2	38	35.326	4	34	14.195	7	28	27	8	199

Equestrian

Main article: Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent two riders for jumping, two for eventing, and one for dressage to the Olympic equestrian competitions. They earned their spots based on their strong rankings in international competitions. The Belgian equestrian team was announced on July 12, 2016.

Fencing

Main article: Fencing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent one fencer to the Olympic competition, marking the nation's return to the sport for the first time since 2004 Summer Olympics. Seppe van Holsbeke earned his place by finishing among the top four individuals at the European Zonal Qualifier in Prague, Czech Republic.

Athlete	Event	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Final / BM
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Seppe van Holsbeke	Men's sabre	Dershwitz (USA) W 15–12	Dolniceanu (ROU) L 13–15	did not advance

Field hockey

Main article: Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Men's tournament

Main article: Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament

The Belgium men's field hockey team earned their spot in the Olympics by finishing in the top three at a key event in the 2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals. The team included players such as Arthur Van Doren, John-John Dohmen, and Vincent Vanasch, with Shane McLeod as the head coach.

Source: Rio2016
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals for; 5) Head-to-head result.
(H) Hosts

Team	Event	Group Stage						Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Final / BM
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Belgium men's	Men's tournament	Great Britain W 4–1	Brazil W 12–0	Australia W 1–0	Spain W 3–1	New Zealand L 1–3	1	India W 3–1	Netherlands W 3–1	Argentina L 2–4

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Belgium	5	4	0	1	21	5	+16	12	Quarter-finals
2	Spain	5	3	1	1	13	6	+7	10
3	Australia	5	3	0	2	13	4	+9	9
4	New Zealand	5	2	1	2	17	8	+9	7
5	Great Britain	5	1	2	2	14	10	+4	5
6	Brazil (H)	5	0	0	5	1	46	−45	0

Golf

Main article: Golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent three golfers to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The golfers were Nicolas Colsaerts, who was ranked 124th in the world, Thomas Pieters, ranked 66th, and Chloe Leurquin, ranked 402nd. They qualified based on their positions in the world rankings.

Gymnastics

Main article: Gymnastics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent a team of six artistic gymnasts to the Olympics—one man and five women. The women’s team earned a spot in the team all-around competition for the first time since a long time ago, and an extra place was given to a male gymnast who competed in different events at a test event in Rio de Janeiro. The gymnasts, including lone male Dennis Goossens, were chosen for the team on July 14, 2016.

Men

Women

Team

Individual finals

Judo

Main article: Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent five judokas to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They included Jasper Lefevere, Toma Nikiforov, Joachim Bottieau, Charline van Snick, and Dirk van Tichelt. These athletes were among the best in the world based on their rankings from May 30, 2016.

Athlete	Event	Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Repechage	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Jasper Lefevere	Men's −66 kg	Smagulov (KAZ) L 000–000 S	did not advance
Dirk Van Tichelt	Men's −73 kg	Bye	Zemouri (QAT) W 100–000	An C-r (KOR) W 010–000	Iartcev (RUS) W 011–010	Ono (JPN) L 000–111	Bye	Ungvári (HUN) W 100–000
Joachim Bottieau	Men's −81 kg	Bye	Marconcini (ITA) L 000–000 S	did not advance
Toma Nikiforov	Men's −100 kg	Bye	Mahjoub (IRI) W 100–000	Gviniashvili (GEO) L 000–101	did not advance
Charline Van Snick	Women's −48 kg	—N/a	Ungureanu (ROU) W 100–000	Menezes (BRA) L 000–001	did not advance

Rowing

Main article: Rowing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium earned a spot for one boat in the men's single sculls event at the Olympics. This happened because the rower finished in the top three at the 2016 European & Final Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Sailing

Main article: Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgian sailors earned spots in several boat classes by competing in events like the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships and other qualifying races. They also received an extra spot in the 49er class when another team could not use theirs. One of the sailors, Evi van Acker, had won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.

M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent one shooter to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The shooter, Maxime Mottet, earned his spot by doing well at the 2015 World Shotgun Championships in Lonato, Italy. He had to meet some rules by March 31, 2016, to be able to join the team.

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgian swimmers qualified for several events at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Up to two swimmers could compete in each event if they met the Olympic Qualifying Time, and possibly one swimmer if they met the Olympic Selection Time.

Men

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Jasper Aerents	50 m freestyle	22.61	39	did not advance
Basten Caerts	200 m breaststroke	2:13.44	32	did not advance
Louis Croenen	200 m butterfly	1:56.48	14 Q	1:56.03	8 Q	1:57.04	8
François Heersbrandt	50 m freestyle	22.58	38	did not advance
Glenn Surgeloose	100 m freestyle	48.65	19	did not advance
	200 m freestyle	1:47.19	17 Q*	1:47.36	14	did not advance
Pieter Timmers	100 m freestyle	48.46	9 Q	48.14 NR	6 Q	47.80 NR
Emmanuel Vanluchene	200 m individual medley	2:01.36	23	did not advance
Jasper Aerents Dieter Dekoninck Glenn Surgeloose Pieter Timmers Emmanuel Vanluchene	4 × 100 m freestyle relay	3:14.16	7 Q	—N/a		3:13.57 NR	6
Louis Croenen Dieter Dekoninck Glenn Surgeloose Pieter Timmers Emmanuel Vanluchene	4 × 200 m freestyle relay	7:08.72	6 Q	—N/a		7:11.64	8

Taekwondo

Main article: Taekwondo at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium had three athletes in the taekwondo events at the Olympics. Si Mohamed Ketbi and Jaouad Achab earned their spots by ranking high enough in the world. Raheleh Asemani, who was born in Iran, chose to represent Belgium after gaining dual citizenship. She qualified by finishing very well in a competition in Istanbul, Turkey.

Athlete	Event	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Repechage	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Si Mohamed Ketbi	Men's −58 kg	Khalil (AUS) L 1–8	did not advance
Jaouad Achab	Men's −68 kg	M Kassman (PNG) W 15–1 PTG	Robak (POL) W 9–7	Denisenko (RUS) L 1–6	Bye	Lee D-h (KOR) L 7–11	5
Raheleh Asemani	Women's −57 kg	Carstens (PAN) W 13–1 PTG	Jones (GBR) L 2–7	Did not advance	Bakkal (MAR) W 12–0 PTG	Malak (EGY) L 0–1	5

Tennis

Main article: Tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent three tennis players to the 2016 Summer Olympics: one man and two women. David Goffin, ranked 11th in the world, and two women, Kirsten Flipkens, ranked 61st, and Yanina Wickmayer, ranked 50th, all qualified for the singles events based on their rankings from June 6, 2016.

Athlete	Event	Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / BM
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
David Goffin	Men's singles	Groth (AUS) W 6–4, 6–2	Sela (ISR) W 6–3, 6–3	Bellucci (BRA) L 6–7(10–12), 4–6	did not advance
Kirsten Flipkens	Women's singles	V Williams (USA) W 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–5)	Šafářová (CZE) W 6–2, ret	Siegemund (GER) L 4–6, 3–6	did not advance
Yanina Wickmayer		Strýcová (CZE) L 6–7(6–8), 1–6	did not advance
Kirsten Flipkens Yanina Wickmayer	Women's doubles	—N/a	Voskoboeva / Shvedova (KAZ) W 6–1, ret	Muguruza / Suárez Navarro (ESP) L 5–7, 6–2, 2–6	did not advance

Triathlon

Main article: Triathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium sent four triathletes to the Olympics. Jelle Geens and Marten van Riel competed in the men’s event, while Claire Michel and Katrien Verstuyft took part in the women’s event. They earned their spots by being among the top 40 triathletes in the world rankings before the games.

Weightlifting

Main article: Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Belgium was allowed to send one male weightlifter to the Olympics because the Russian weightlifting team was not allowed to compete due to issues with unfair practices.