Robert Van de Walle

Robert Van de Walle (born 20 May 1954) is a retired Belgian judoka. He was the first judoka to ever compete at five Olympics, from 1976 to 1992. Competing in the half-heavyweight category he won the gold medal in 1980 and a bronze in 1988 at the age of 34. Van de Walle won European titles in 1980, 1985 and 1986.[2] Together with Ingrid Berghmans he was the face of Belgian judo in the late 1970s and 1980s. After retiring from competitions he ran a coaching company together with his wife.[3] He was the head of the Belgian delegation at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[4] In summer 2021, 14 years after obtaining the rank of black belt 8th dan; Van De Walle, currently a member of Judo Club Crossing Schaerbeek, accepted his promotion to 9th dan from the International Judo Federation.[5]

Robert Van de Walle
Van de Walle (2nd left) at the 1980 Olympics
Personal information
Born (1954-05-20) 20 May 1954
Ostend, Belgium
OccupationJudoka
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
CountryBelgium
SportJudo
Weight class–95 kg, Open
Rank     9th dan black belt[1]
ClubCrossing Schaerbeek
Achievements and titles
World Champ.Silver (1979, 1981)
European Champ.Gold (1980, 1985, 1986)
Olympic GamesGold (1980)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  Belgium
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Moscow ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul ‍–‍95 kg
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1979 Paris ‍–‍95 kg
Silver medal – second place 1981 Maastricht ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1981 Maastricht Open
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Moscow Open
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Moscow ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Seoul ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Belgrade ‍–‍95 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1980 Vienna Open
Gold medal – first place 1985 Hamar ‍–‍95 kg
Gold medal – first place 1986 Belgrade ‍–‍95 kg
Silver medal – second place 1976 Kyiv ‍–‍93 kg
Silver medal – second place 1977 Ludwigshafen ‍–‍95 kg
Silver medal – second place 1979 Brussels ‍–‍95 kg
Silver medal – second place 1983 Paris Open
Silver medal – second place 1984 Liege ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1977 Ludwigshafen Open
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Helsinki ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Brussels Open
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Vienna ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1981 Debrecen ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Paris ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Liege Open
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Paris ‍–‍95 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Pamplona ‍–‍95 kg
World Juniors Championships
Silver medal – second place 1974 Rio de Janeiro ‍–‍93 kg
European Cadet Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Naples ‍–‍85 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF8904
JudoInside.com4760
Updated on 18 June 2023.

Bibliography
  • (1993) "Pick-ups" Judo Masterclass Techniques Ippon Books

References
  1. "IJF Dan Grades Awardees" (PDF). International Judo Federation. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. Robert Van De Walle (Belgium). realjudo.net
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Robert Van de Walle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
  4. Betere resultaten door uw energiepotentieel te optimaliseren. resourcementcentre.be
  5. "IJF Dan Grades Awardees" (PDF). International Judo Federation. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.

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