Amaury Paquet wins 20 km of Brussels for third time in a row, Hanna Vandenbussche is fastest woman
Amaury Paquet and Hanna Vandenbussche won yesterday’s 20 kilometres of Brussels. For Paquet, from Liège, it is the third time in a row that he is first to cross the finish in Brussels. Almost 40,000 sporting enthusiasts started the 43rd edition of the race. Two runners suffered heart attacks and were taken to hospital.
The starting shot was fired in the Jubel Park at 9:30 exactly for the first wave of participants: the handisporters of Handicap International Belgium. Half an hour later, the first of the five waves of runners followed and at 10.30 am the walkers started their trek.
Many of the participants represented one of nearly 500 companies and associations taking advantage of the opportunity to showcase their operations. Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal) took part on behalf of the Red Cross.
An innovation this year were the reusable drinking cups. These replaced plastic bottles at the 5 water stations along the way. Nevertheless, the organisation is still criticised by environmental organisations. Greenpeace and Youth for Climate denounced the sponsorship by TotalEnergies, which sponsored the event to the tune of €50,000. There was even a protest against TotalEnergies at the start of the race.
Winners
Amaury Paquet from Liège finished first for the third year in a row in the men’s race. He made a time of 1:00:15. Nicolas Schyns was second in 1:01:41, Brussels-based Ethiopian Solomon Belayneh third in 1:01:43. Among the women, Vandenbussche made it in at 1:10:44. The West Fleming, who has been living in Leuven for years, was well ahead of Karen Van Proeyen, who made a time of 1:12:35. Third place went to Amélie Bihain in 1:12:58.
Out of a total of some 40,000 runners and walkers, 579 participants needed medical attention, according to provisional Red Cross figures.
In most cases, the medical intervention was needed for minor problems such as scratches or dehydration. 82 people needed care for more serious problems, such as a fracture or sprain. 36 people had to be transferred to hospital, two of them after a heart attack.
