Elise Vanderelst has shown huge potential the past years and only still is 21 years of age. Back in 2016 she made a big step forward by finishing in fourth place during the 800m final at the world U20 championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. One year later she seemed to be one of the medal contenders at the European U20 championships. Those expectations however generated a lot of stress for the young Belgian. She did not perform the way she desired and finished in seventh place.
2018 was the year in which the transition to the 1500m was planned. Vanderelst secured her spot for the European championships in Berlin during her season opener in that distance. Berlin would become her first big championship in the senior category. Vanderelst ran a great race during the first of two heats in Berlin, yet she was not automatically sure of a place in the final. She had to hope on a spot in the final being one of the fastest losers. The second heat was only a bit faster, which resulted in Vanderelst missing the final with only 16 hundreths of a second. There were some mixed feelings afterwards. “At first I was a bit disappointed. I however knew that I gave it my all, without making mistakes. It was only my first year in which I specifically worked towards the 1500m, so there was no need to complain”, tells Vanderelst.
In the aftermath ofBerlin the athlete receives a wildcard to participate in the Diamond League 1500m-final. Vanderelst grabbed the opportunity with both hands to run the best race of her life finishing in 4’05”75, the second performance ever by a Belgian and a national U23 record. “The Memorial was by far my most beautiful track and field performance. To line up against the best athletes in the world in a stadium filled with Belgians cheering for you is just out of this world. My performance at the Memorial was the result of a summer in which I learned a great deal, both mentally and physically”, continues the middle-distance runner.
The past winter season was all about the cross-country season as a preparation ahead of an exciting summer season with both the European U23 championships in the Swedish city of Gävle and the world championships in Doha as her biggest objectives. The young Belgian spent the past weeks training in South-Africa and France to be in the best shape at the start of the summer season. “I had two main goals during the winter season: participating at the Mixed Relay at the European cross- country championships in Tilburg and becoming the Belgian champion at the short cross distance. I want to be at my very best in both Gävle and Doha. I am excited to see what I can do at both championships. A lot will depend on how the races will unfold tactically. Another goal is to improve my 800m PB. There is no 1500m for women at the Memorial this year, but after last year’s lovely experience I hope to get more chances to participate in front of our home crowd in Brussels”, wraps Vanderelst up.
26 April, 2019
