View source for Gaston Roelants

{{Short description|Athletics competitor, long distance runner, steeplechase, cross country}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = 
| image          =Gaston Roelants 1968.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        =Gaston Roelants in 1968
| headercolor   = lightsteelblue
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = 
| nationality    = Belgian
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1937|2|5}}
| birth_place    = [[Opvelp]], Belgium
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height = {{convert|1.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|67|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| country        = Belgium
| sport          =Athletics
|event=[[steeplechase (athletics)|Steeplechase]], marathon
|pb=3000 m Steeplechase – 8:26.4 (1965)<br>marathon – 2:16:30 (1974)
| club           =DC Leuven 
| retired        = 1976
| olympics       = 
| highestranking = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Country|{{BEL}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]]|[[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase|3000 m steeplechase]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1962 European Athletics Championships|1962 Belgrade]]|[[1962 European Athletics Championships – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase|3000 m steeplechase]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1969 European Athletics Championships|1969 Athens]]|[[1969 European Athletics Championships – Men's marathon|Marathon]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1966 European Athletics Championships|1966 Budapest]]|[[1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase|3000 m steeplechase]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1974 European Athletics Championships|1974 Rome]]|[[1974 European Athletics Championships – Men's marathon|Marathon]]}}
}}
'''Gaston, Baron Roelants''' (born 5 February 1937), is a Belgian former elite [[steeplechase (athletics)|steeplechaser]] and [[cross country running|cross country runner]]. He won the 1962 European and [[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Olympic]] titles in the [[3000 metres steeplechase|3000 m steeplechase]] and twice broke the world record.

==Biography==
[[File:Gaston Roelants, Bestanddeelnr 920-4902.jpg|thumb|235px|Gaston Roelants in 1967]]
Roelants finished fourth in the steeplechase at the 1960 Olympics, and after winning a bronze medal at the 1966 European Championships he successfully turned to longer distances, setting world records in the 20&nbsp;km (58 minutes 6.2 seconds) and in the 1 hour race (20,664 m) that year. In 1972 he improved those records to 57 minutes 44.4 seconds and 20,878 meters. He won a silver (1969) and a bronze (1974) medal in European [[Marathon (sport)|marathon]] races.<ref>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/gaston-roelants-1.html Gaston Roelants] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108221558/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/gaston-roelants-1.html |date=8 January 2010 }}. Sports-reference.com. Retrieved on 12 January 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=10010 |title=Gaston Roelant |access-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605074336/http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=10010 |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}. Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved on 12 January 2014.</ref> He was ranked the world's best steeplechaser five times, in 1962–1965 and 1967.<ref>[http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/3000STrankingbynation.pdf World Rankings By Nation — Men’s Steeple] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102082340/http://trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/3000STrankingbynation.pdf |date=2 January 2010 }}. [[Track and Field News]]</ref>

Roelants also won four international cross country titles (1962, 1967, 1969 and 1972) with three second places between 1960 and 1975. His long career continued into his 40s. Later he won five world titles in the [[Masters athletics|masters]] category and held the masters world record in the steeplechase for 27 years.<ref>[http://masterstrack.com/blog/003048.html Masterstrack Records analysis, 2003.]{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref>

A major Belgian [[road running|road race]] is named after Roelants.<ref>[http://www.sport.be/runningtour/10kgastonroelants/2009/fr/ Gaston Roelants race review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091223033612/http://www.sport.be/runningtour/10kgastonroelants/2009/fr/ |date=23 December 2009 }}. Sport.be. 20 December 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.brussels.be/artdet.cfm?id=4843&agendaid=1081 Sport. Brussels 10K Gaston Roelants]. Brussels.be. Retrieved on 12 January 2014.</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before=[[Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak]] |title=[[Steeplechase (athletics)#World record progression|Men's 3000 m steeplechase<br/>world record holder]] |years=7 September 1963 – 17 July 1968 |after=[[Jouko Kuha]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 3000 m Steeplechase Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Belgium Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Medalists Belgium Athletics Men}}
{{Belgian National Sports Merit Award}}
{{Footer European Champions 3000 m Steeplechase Men}}
{{Footer International Cross Country Champions Men}}
{{Japan Championships in Athletics men's steeplechase champions}}
{{Golden Spike Belgium}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roelants, Gaston}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Bierbeek]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Flemish Brabant]]
[[Category:Belgian men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Belgian men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Belgian men marathon runners]]
[[Category:Belgian men steeplechase runners]]
[[Category:Olympic men marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic men steeplechase runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Belgium]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Belgium]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:International Cross Country Championships winners]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Japan Championships in Athletics winners]]
[[Category:Belgian Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:Belgian barons]]
[[Category:20th-century Belgian sportsmen]]