Renée Eykens’ road to become one of the best European 800m runners started at the 2015 European U20 championships in Eskilstuna where she grabbed the gold medal. Her victory starts up her career as a pro athlete. Just one year later Eykens shows off her class during the semifinals of the Olympic Games in Rio. She races to a magnificent 2’00”00 at the age of 20.
“Rio was all about mixed feelings. I never really felt at ease during the preparation. My performances however were beyond expectations. I did not consider myself capable of performing at that level”, tells the athlete. Eykens switches coaches in 2017 as she opts for the Dutch trainer Theo Joosten. She once again displays her class during the European U23 championships in Bydgoszcz by winning another gold medal.
The European athletics championships of Berlin in 2018 are the main goal for the next summer season. Injuries however threaten her chances in Berlin after running both 800m and 1500m standards. Eykens gets fit just in time. Things go dramatically wrong in Berlin during the series of the 800m as she gets boxed in. In a final attempt to reach the semifinals Eykens hits the ground hard, no semifinals, no final. “Despite all the injuries in the months before I felt ready to perform at a high level. I felt so confident and all of a sudden I hit the ground. All of the work to prepare mysef flashed before my eyes. 2018 was a mental battle, yet I feel like it has only made me a stronger athlete and person”, says Eykens.
The 22 year old demonstrates her fighting spirit in the 2019 indoor season. She runs the standard to participate at the European championships in Glasgow. The young Belgian, who turns 23 in June, surprises by running three wonderful races. She just misses out on the podium. “At first there were no real big indoor plans, apart from running a PB and trying to score good points for the world ranking, yet that was not necessary as the IAAF told us that Doha would still work with the classic standards. Glasgow as a championship was much needed for my confidence. I came out strong and could not blame myself for finishing in fourth place”, explains the finalist in Glasgow.
This summer is all about the road to Doha. 2’00”60 is needed to reach the capital of Qatar. If everything goes according to plan, then we will see Eykens at the AG Memorial Van Damme. “The best case scenario would be that I run my standard early in the season, so that I can take a short break to rest and train. I hope to reach Doha as it would be my first world championship at the highest level. Breaking the mythical 2 minute barrier is on my to do list in 2019. The Memorial might be the perfect last test before heading to Doha. To run in such a stadium with a huge Belgian crowd is just out of this world. I aspire to be a part of this wonderful event for the second year in a row”, adds Eykens.
