Belgian Tornados win bronze in 4x400m relay at World Athletics Championships

The Belgian Tornados men’s relay team won a bronze medal on the final day of the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday.

Dylan Borlée, Julien Watrin, Alexander Doom and Kevin Borlée in anchor position, had a flawless race to complete the 4x400m in 2'58''72, reports RTBF. The US totally dominated the field to win gold in front of a rapturous home crowd, while Jamaica took home the silver.

After Nafi Thiam’s gold in the heptathlon and marathon runner Bashir Abdi’s bronze, this was a third medal for Belgium, equalling the country’s previous medal harvest at the world championships.

It was also the Tornados' second bronze medal in the worlds, the first picked up in Doha in 2019. In 29 finals, across all competitions, the Tornados have reached the podium 15 times, an impressive feat for the small nation.

Their coach Jacques Borlée praised each of the team’s performance. "To do 45.44 in this wind for Dylan was great, then Julien takes the inner track in an ideal position and Alexander and Kevin do the perfect race, in conditions made complicated by the wind."

Photo: Alexander Doom, Julien Watrin, Dylan Borlée and Kevin Borlée © Belga/Jasper Jacobs