View source for Gaston Reiff

{{short description|Belgian runner}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = 
| image          = Gaston Reiff 1949.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = Gaston Reiff in 1949
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = 
| nationality    = 
| birth_date     = 24 February 1921 
| birth_place    = [[Braine-l'Alleud]], Belgium
| death_date     = 6 May 1992 (aged 71)
| death_place    = Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium
| height         = 173&nbsp;cm
| weight         = 61&nbsp;kg
| country        = 
| sport          = Athletics
| event = 1000–10,000 m
| pb = 1500 m – 3:45.2 (1952)<br>Mile – 4:02.8 (1952)<br>5000 m – 14:10.8 (1951)<br>10,000 m – 30:18.8 (1951)<ref name=tf>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=5525&Gender=M Gaston Reiff]. trackfield.brinkster.net</ref>
| club           = USG
| alma_mater = 
| retired        =
| olympics       = 
| highestranking = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | {{BEL}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold|[[1948 Summer Olympics|1948 London]]|[[Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{MedalEuropeanChampionships}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1950 European Athletics Championships|1950 Brussels]]|[[1950 European Athletics Championships – Men's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
}}
'''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.<ref name=sr/>

Reiff competed in [[boxing]] and [[football (soccer)|football]] before changing to athletics. Besides his Olympic gold medal he set [[world record]]s 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.<ref name=sr>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/re/gaston-reiff-1.html Gaston Reiff] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322134432/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/re/gaston-reiff-1.html |date=22 March 2016 }}. sports-reference.com</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category|Gaston Reiff}}
{{reflist}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|rec}}
{{Succession box|before={{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gunder Hägg]]|title=[[Men's 3000 metres world record progression|Men's 3000 m World Record Holder]]|years=12 August 1949 &ndash; 14 May 1955|after={{flagicon|HUN}} [[Sandor Iharos]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 5000 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Belgium Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Medalists Belgium Athletics Men}}
{{Footer US NC Indoor 3000 meters Men}}
{{Belgian National Sports Merit Award}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reiff, Gaston}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Braine-l'Alleud]]
[[Category:Belgian men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Belgian men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Belgium]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Belgium]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:20th-century Belgian sportsmen]]

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{{Belgium-Olympic-medalist-stub}}