Sport

Belgian Falcons claim European 4x100m bronze in Birmingham

Belgium’s men converted four years of relay development and repeated national-record improvements into their first senior European outdoor 4x100m medal.

Belgium Impulse Editorial·16 August 2026·2 min read·

Well established· 1 primary source + 3 official documents · Background sources: 4

In 30 seconds

European Athletics’ official results place the Belgian Falcons third in Birmingham’s men’s 4x100-metre final.
Atletiek Vlaanderen records Belgium’s bronze-medal time as 38.70 seconds.
Belgian federation records list 38.40 as the national record, set in Gaborone on 3 May 2026.
Belgian Athletics’ report records fourth place at the 2024 European Championships, 0.13 seconds short of bronze.

The Belgian Falcons are Belgium’s senior men’s 4x100-metre relay squad, developed as a dedicated national project from 2022.

is a Belgian sprinter and regular relay finisher whose World Athletics profile and federation records place him in several national-record quartets. is a Belgian 100- and 200-metre sprinter who became national 100-metre champion in 2025, according to World Athletics. is a Belgian short sprinter and established member of the Falcons’ middle relay legs. is a Belgian sprinter and national-record holder over 200 metres, according to World Athletics-linked records. is the continental governing body responsible for the European Championships. is Belgium’s Dutch-speaking athletics league and a constituent part of Belgian Athletics. is a city in England’s West Midlands; its hosted the from 10 to 16 August 2026. Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, hosted the 2026 World Athletics Relays. Beijing will host the 2027 World Athletics Championships.

Background

Atletiek Vlaanderen says the modern Belgian Falcons project began in 2022, when Belgium returned a men’s 4x100-metre team to the European Championships after a long absence. European Athletics’ Munich results show that squad reaching the final but failing to finish. Belgian Athletics’ 2024 championship report records fourth place in Rome, 0.13 seconds outside the medals, after a national record in the heats. Federation record tables then document improvements to 38.49 in Guangzhou and 38.46 in Tokyo during 2025. World Athletics and Belgian federation records place the current national mark at 38.40, achieved in Gaborone on 3 May 2026.

Why now

The Falcons reached the European podium on 15 August 2026 after qualifying earlier that day. The result is timely because it converts several seasons of record-breaking progress—and fourth place at Rome 2024—into the programme’s first senior European outdoor medal.

Context & what happens next

What to watch

Watch the Falcons’ squad selections, Vleminckx’s sustained fitness after his May hamstring injury, and whether Belgium can again approach its 38.40 national record. The next major benchmark is the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, for which World Athletics’ relay results show Belgium has qualified.

What to do

Nothing changes immediately for the general public, but Belgian athletics clubs and emerging sprinters now have a proven men’s short-relay pathway to target. Supporters can expect the Falcons to enter future European meetings as established medal contenders. For Belgian Athletics and its regional leagues, the practical decision is how to preserve specialist exchange training, athlete availability and squad depth through the 2027 and 2028 championship cycle.

How we got here

2022-04-28
Atletiek Vlaanderen publicly presents the modern Belgian Falcons project.
2022-08-21
European Athletics’ results show Belgium reaching the European final in Munich but not finishing.
2024-06-12
Belgian Athletics records fourth place at the European Championships in Rome in 38.65 seconds.
2025-05-11
Atletiek Vlaanderen records a Belgian relay record of 38.49 at the World Relays in Guangzhou.
2025-09-20
Atletiek Vlaanderen records another national mark, 38.46, at the World Championships in Tokyo.