Elliot Christian completed the Belgian World Cup ceremony: after a frantic 800 meters he took the bronze medal

After three gold medals, Elliot Christian also claimed a bronze medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. Our compatriot started strongly midway through the 800 metres, but dropped from first to third in the final straight. It is the first World Cup medal for our compatriot, which sets the crown for Belgium's most successful World Cup.

It was already the most successful IAAF World Indoor Championships for Belgium, but Elliot Christian went one step further.

Our compatriot won the bronze medal in the final of the 800-meter race in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday evening.

In an exciting finish – full of push and pull – Christian appeared to be on his way to the gold medal after a sharp acceleration in the middle of the race, but he fell back slightly in the final straight. His timing: 1'45″32.

American favorite Bryce Hubbell (1'44'92) took the gold medal ahead of Sweden's Andreas Kramer (1'45'27) who won the silver medal.

The 25-year-old Christian has already reached the final of the 2022 World Cup and won a bronze medal at the European Championships last year. On Saturday, he finished second in the second semi-final with a personal best of 1'45'08, the same time as American winner Bryce Hubbell.

Winning a medal at the World Indoor Championships is a new experience for Elliot Christian. “I am very satisfied. My dream was to win a medal here. The main goal was to reach the final and anything is possible. I really ran for a medal.”

“Christian gave everything he could in the final and it paid off. “I immediately wanted to take the lead, but Garcia (defending champion, editor) was away very quickly. It was a tough and nervous race again. Indoors it was very difficult. “It's difficult to overtake someone, because the straights are so short. But I'm very satisfied with the result.”

“This medal shows that I am in good shape and that the preparation has been good. Since the beginning of the season I have been performing very regularly. I have made a lot of changes and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this medal. This is what we do, to win medals in tournaments.”

With the European Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games next summer, important months will come for Christian. “This is a very important year. I really wanted to participate here, because due to various injuries I have not been able to participate in many competitions yet. I needed a competitive rhythm to gain confidence towards the European Championships and the Games. This is very motivating.”