The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Belgium

This page contains a list of the greatest Belgian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 155 of which were born in Belgium. This makes Belgium the birth place of the 22nd most number of Athletes behind Czechia, and Romania.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Belgian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Belgian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Belgian Athletes.

1. Hubert Van Innis (1866 - 1961)

With an HPI of 64.22, Hubert Van Innis is the most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.

Gerard Theodor Hubert Van Innis (24 February 1866 – 25 November 1961) was a Belgian competitor in the sport of archery; he competed in two Summer Olympics 20 years apart and came away with a total of six gold medals and three silver medals. As a young boy, the story goes he was forced to work as a milk delivery boy in the villages around Brussels, and at the end of his deliveries he would send his dog and cart home while he went off to practice his archery skills. When he was 13 years old, he won the first prize in a main competition in Antwerp. He also won the prize in 1893, 1894, 1895 and 1896. In 1881, he won the royan prize of Roozendaal. Van Innis was 34 years old when he competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France. He entered four events; he won gold medals in the Au Cordon Doré 33 metres and the Au Chapelet 33 metres events, and he also came second behind Frenchman Henri Hérouin in the Au Cordon Doré 50 metres. His worst result of the Games was a fourth place in the Au Chapelet 50 metres. Van Innis had to wait another twenty years before competing on the Olympic stage. Aged 54, he entered the 1920 Summer Olympics held on his home soil in Antwerp, Belgium, where he added to his medal tally with two more individual gold medals in the Individual moving bird, 28 metres, beating Frenchman Léonce Quentin (his only competitor in this event) and the Individual moving bird, 33 metres. He then lost to Frenchman Julien Brulé in the Individual moving bird, 50 metres, to win a silver medal. He also added three team medals with two more golds in the Team moving bird, 50 metres; Team moving bird, 33 metres; and a silver medal in the Team moving bird, 28 metres. His final Olympic medal tally was six gold medals and three silver medals. Unbelievably—when aged 67 years old, 13 years after his final Olympic victories—he went on to win in the 1933 World Championships. His legacy has continued through his family; his great-grandson Philippe Prieels has competed in the World Archery Championships, and his great-great-granddaughter Sarah Prieels has also competed in the World Archery Championships.

2. Fernando (b. 0)

With an HPI of 63.03, Fernando is the 2nd most famous Belgian Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is equivalent to the Germanic given name Ferdinand, with an original meaning of "adventurous, bold journey".

3. Gaston Reiff (1921 - 1992)

With an HPI of 61.25, Gaston Reiff is the 3rd most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Gaston Étienne Ghislaine Reiff (24 February 1921 – 6 May 1992) was a Belgian runner. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in the 5000 m event and won it in 1948, defeating Emil Zátopek in the final and becoming the first Belgian track and field athlete to win an Olympic title. He lost to Zátopek at the 1950 European Championships, placing third. Reiff competed in boxing and football before changing to athletics. Besides his Olympic gold medal he set world records in the 2000 m, 3000 m and 2 miles and won 24 national titles; in 1951 he held Belgian records on distances ranging from 1000 m to 10000 m. A street in Braine-l'Alleud and the town's stadium are named after Reiff in his home town of Braine-l'Alleud.

4. Emmanuel Foulon (1871 - 1945)

With an HPI of 60.93, Emmanuel Foulon is the 4th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Emmanuel Foulon (29 December 1871 in Frameries – 22 July 1945 in Frameries) was a Belgian competitor in the sport of archery. Foulon competed in one event, winning the Sur la Perche à la Herse. He is now considered by the International Olympic Committee to have won a gold medal[1]. No scores are known from that competition.

5. Gaston Roelants (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 60.66, Gaston Roelants is the 5th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Gaston, Baron Roelants (born 5 February 1937), is a Belgian former elite steeplechaser and cross country runner. He won the 1962 European and 1964 Olympic titles in the 3000 m steeplechase and twice broke the world record.

6. Oscar Dessomville (1876 - 1938)

With an HPI of 60.02, Oscar Dessomville is the 6th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Oscar Charles Dessomville (19 August 1876 – 30 August 1938) was a Belgian rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and in the 1908 Summer Olympics. In both 1900 and 1908 he was the only one with Rodolphe Poma, who was coxswain in 1900, who was both two times part of the Belgian boat Royal Club Nautique de Gand, which won the silver medal in the men's eight.

7. Prosper Bruggeman (1873 - 1939)

With an HPI of 59.58, Prosper Bruggeman is the 7th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Prosper Jan Bruggeman (14 March 1870 – 6 March 1939) was a Belgian rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was part of the Belgian boat Royal Club Nautique de Gand, which won the silver medal in the men's eight.

8. Émile Grumiaux (1861 - 1932)

With an HPI of 59.39, Émile Grumiaux is the 8th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Émile Grumiaux (11 June 1861 in Boussu – 18 May 1932 in Liévin) was a French competitor in the sport of archery. Grumiaux competed in one event, winning the Sur la Perche à la Pyramide competition. He is now considered by the International Olympic Committee to have won a gold medal[1]. No scores from that competition are known.

9. Étienne Gailly (1922 - 1971)

With an HPI of 58.96, Étienne Gailly is the 9th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Étienne Gailly (French pronunciation: [etjɛn ɡaji]; 26 November 1922, Beringen – 3 November 1971, Genval) was a Belgian soldier and Olympic athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon.

10. Victor Willems (1877 - 1918)

With an HPI of 58.52, Victor Willems is the 10th most famous Belgian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Victor Willems (19 February 1877 – 1920) was a Belgian fencer. He won a bronze medal in the team épée event at the 1908 Summer Olympics and a gold in the same event at the 1912 Summer Olympics.

People

Pantheon has 155 people classified as Belgian athletes born between 1758 and 2005. Of these 155, 122 (78.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Belgian athletes include Fernando, Gaston Roelants, and Emiel Puttemans. The most famous deceased Belgian athletes include Hubert Van Innis, Gaston Reiff, and Emmanuel Foulon. As of April 2024, 155 new Belgian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Hubert Van Innis, Fernando, and Gaston Reiff.