Kim Gevaert

Career Her closest brush with a world title came in running four hundredths of a second behind three-time champion Gail Devers at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. At the next World Indoor Championships, in 2006, she won the bronze medal in a national record time of 7.11 seconds.

On 9 August 2006 Gevaert won the 100 metres at the European Championships in 11.06 seconds. Two days later, she also won the final of the 200 metres, which was celebrated together with fellow Belgian athlete Tia Hellebaut, who had won gold in the high jump final only minutes before Kim Gevaert. With her first medal, Gevaert became the first Belgian gold medalist at the European Championships in 35 years and the first woman to win the sprint double since 1994.

At the 2007 World Championships she won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay, together with teammates Hanna Mariën, Olivia Borlée and Élodie Ouédraogo. With 42.75 seconds the team set a new Belgian record. A few days earlier as best European athlete she had finished 5th in a thrilling 100 m final.

On her 30th birthday, three days before the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Gevaert announced that she would retire at the end of the 2008 season.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Gevaert was in the best condition of her life. She reached the 100 m semifinals by ending 3rd in her quarterfinals, but after missing her start she finished sixth and failed to proceed to the finals.

On 5 September 2008, Kim Gevaert ended her career running the 100 m at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium, a race which she won in 11.25.

Personal life Gevaert has two brothers, Marlon and John, and a sister Sigrid. Marlon competed in sprint at the national level in Belgium before becoming a national sprint coach in New Zealand. In 2010 Gevaert married her long-time partner and a fellow athlete Djeke Mambo. They have two sons and one daughter, who are bilingual, as the principal language of their father is French and of their mother is Flemish.

Honours and awards Golden Spike - Best female athlete: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 Vlaamse Reus: 2002, 2004, 2007 , nominations in 2006, 2008 Flemish Sportsjewel: 2002 Honorary Citizen of Kampenhout: 2002 Belgian Sports Personality of the Year: 2004 Belgian Sports team of the Year: Women's 4 × 100 metres relay: 2004, 2007, 2008 Golden Medal of Honor of the Flemish Parliament: 2005 Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 2006 (with Tia Hellebaut) Flemish Sportsjewel: 2007 (Women's 4 × 100 metres relay team) Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee Order of Merit: 2021 Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 2007 (Women's 4 × 100 metres relay team) Honorary Citizen of Steenokkerzeel: 2006 Honorary Citizen of Sint-Genesius-Rode: 2017

Major achievements

Personal best 60 metres: 7.10 seconds (Belgian Record) 100 metres: 11.04 seconds (Wind: 2.0/Place: Brussels/Date:09 07 2006) (Belgian Record) 200 metres: 22.20 seconds (Brussels/09 07 2006) (Belgian Record) 400 metres: 51.45 seconds (-/Gent/08 05 2005) (Belgian Record)