Belgian marathon runner Aurèle Vandendriessche, who competed at three Olympics and won two Boston titles, has died in Waregem aged 91.
Vandendriessche dropped out of the Rome 1960 Olympic marathon after attempting to stay with a fast early pace in a contest where Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila won the first of his two Olympic titles.
Four years later in Tokyo, the Belgian finished seventh in 2 hours 18min 42.6sec.
He won the Boston Marathon in 1963 and 1964 and produced his personal best of 2:17:44 there in finishing fourth in 1965.
Vandendriessche, eight-time national champion, also won silver medals at the 1962 and 1966 European Championships.
Although he had a full-time job, the Belgian became known for his stringent training regime, reportedly walking up to 60 kilometres a day.
Source: Inside the Games
