Michael Somers (born 2 March 1995) is a Belgian long-distance runner. He won the 5000 meters at the 2019 Belgian Athletics Championships. He also won the overall title of the 2021–22 Lotto Cross Cup.[2] In December 2021, he finished 5th at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland in a race won by Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen.[3]
 Somers in 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Born | 2 March 1995 |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Sport | Track and Field |
| Event(s) | 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m, Marathon |
| Club | Atletiekclub Lyra ( - 2022) Royal CABW Nivelles (2022 - ) |
| Coached by | Rik Didden ( - 2022) Hamish Carson (2022 - ) |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests |
|
In January 2023 he made his debit in the half-marathon, finishing 4th in the half-marathon in Seville[4] In June he represented Belgium at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, finishing 25th in the men's half marathon. In September 2023 he qualified for the marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France by finishing 16th in the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2h08:09, a mere 1 second within the required qualification marker of 2h08:10.[5] At those Olympics he finished 22nd in the marathon.[6] Immediately after finishing, he touched the nation by first asking a Sporza TV reporter to lend him his phone so he could call his dad who was suffering at home from a lingering illness, not getting through and then addressing in tears via live TV his dad to let him know that his name was now "forever in the record books".[7] His dad died 3 days later.[8]
Competition record
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Belgium
| |||||
| 2018 | European Cross Country Championships | Tilburg, The Netherlands | 22nd | Senior race | 29:49 |
| 2019 | European Cross Country Championships | Lisbon, Portugal | 24th | Senior race | 31:25 |
| 2021 | European Cross Country Championships | Dublin, Ireland | 5th | Senior race | 30:38 |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 25th | Half marathon | 1:03:20 SB |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 22nd | Marathon | 2:10:32 |
References
edit- ^ Michael Somers at World Athletics
- ^ "Mieke Gorissen en Michael Somers veroveren Belgische driekleur in veldlopen". sporza.be (in Dutch). 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Michael Somers in de wolken met vijfde plaats op EK veldlopen: "Dit is ongelooflijk"" (in Dutch). Gazet van Antwerpen. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Michael Somers 4e du semi-marathon de Séville pour ses débuts sur la distance". RTBF (in French). 29 January 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Michael Somers (RCABW) réussit le minimum pour le marathon des JO de Paris pour... une seconde". RTBF (in French). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "SOMERS Michael". www.olympics.com. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Prachtig moment na marathon: Somers wil voor interview eerst naar huis bellen - "Papa, ik sta voor altijd in de boeken"" (in Dutch). Sporza. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Enkele dagen na olympische ode heeft Michael Somers afscheid moeten nemen van zijn vader: "Mijn nummer 1 fan"" (in Dutch). Sporza. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
External links
edit- Michael Somers at World Athletics
- Michael Somers at European Athletics
- Michael Somers at Team Belgium (in Dutch)
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