Biography
Reiff was born in Braine-l'Alleud, and competed in boxing and football before switching to running. His greatest performance is no doubt his 5000 m title at the 1948 Summer Olympics. In a rainy London, he held off Czechoslovakian Emil Zátopek, winner of the 10000 m, who closed in fast in the final meters. By winning, he became the first Belgian track and field athlete to win an Olympic title.
Apart from his Olympic championship, Reiff also set world records in the 2000 m, 3000 m and 2 miles, and won a bronze medal in the 5000 m at the 1950 European Championships. He won 24 national titles, and set 26 national records; in 1951 he possessed all Belgian records on distances ranging from 1000 m to 10000 m. In 1952, he failed to retain his Olympic title in Helsinki, and had to abandon the final.
Reiff died in his birthplace at age 71. Nearly ten years after his death, he was placed third in the Walloon athlete of the 20th century election.
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gunder Hägg |
Men's 3000 m World Record Holder August 12, 1949 – May 14, 1955 |
Succeeded by Sandor Iharos |
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Reiff, Gaston |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Belgian athlete |
| Date of birth | 24 February 1921 |
| Place of birth | Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium |
| Date of death | 6 May 1992 |
| Place of death | Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium |
Read more about this topic: Gaston Reiff
Famous quotes containing the word biography:
“A biography is like a handshake down the years, that can become an arm-wrestle.”
—Richard Holmes (b. 1945)
“Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)
“A great biography should, like the close of a great drama, leave behind it a feeling of serenity. We collect into a small bunch the flowers, the few flowers, which brought sweetness into a life, and present it as an offering to an accomplished destiny. It is the dying refrain of a completed song, the final verse of a finished poem.”
—André Maurois (1885–1967)