Christian Belz
Encyclopedia
Christian Belz is a Swiss
long-distance runner. He was initially a steeplechase
r and represented Switzerland in the event at the World Championships in Athletics in 1999 and 2001 as well as the 2000 Summer Olympics
. He broke the national record with a run of 8:22.24 in June 2001. Later that year he won two bronze medal
s at the 2001 Summer Universiade
.
He began to focus on the 5000 metres
instead and was one of two Europeans to make the world final at the 2003 World Championships
. He was eliminated in the heats at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but broke another Swiss record at the 2005 World Championships
, running 27:53.16 in the 10,000 metres. He was fourth at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
A switch to road running
was hindered by injury throughout 2007 to 2009. He made his final major appearance at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and announced his international retirement at the end of that year.
, he started his career in athletics as a specialist in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He earned All-American honours competing for the Washington Huskies
while studying at the University of Washington
. It was in the steeplechase that he made his first international appearances for Switzerland. He was selected for the 1999 World Championships in Athletics
and finished eighth in his heat. He made his Olympic debut the following year at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
and was again knocked out in the heats after an eighth place finish.
The 2001 season marked an improvement in his performances: he set a personal best and Swiss record
in the steeplechase with a time of 8:22.24 at the FBK Games in Hengelo
in July. He made a global final for the first time at the 2001 World Championships
and finished in thirteenth place with a time of 8:31.43. A month later he competed at the 2001 Summer Universiade
and had his first international podium finish, taking the bronze medal
s in both the steeplechase and 5000 metres
. At the end of the year he participated at the 2001 European Cross Country Championships
, held on home turf in Thun
, and he took fifth place in a field of 77 runners.
debut in 2003, finishing in eighteenth place in the short race at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. He was the best Swiss performer at the event, heading the national team (including Viktor Röthlin
) to seventh in the rankings. He was also chosen for the 2003 World Championships
and reached the final of the 5000 m. He ended up in 13th place, but he was one of only two Europeans in the world final, alongside Juan Carlos de la Ossa
of Spain. He also ran in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but did not make it past the heats stage on his second Olympic appearance.
He competed at the 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and was 28th in the short race. He had greater success on the track by winning the gold medal
over 3000 metres
at the 2005 European Cup. He elected to run the 10,000 metres at the 2005 World Championships
and broke Markus Ryffel
's long-standing national record with a run of 27:53.16 for fourteenth place. The following year he retained his 3000 m title at the 2006 European Cup and came close to a 10,000 m medal at the 2006 European Athletics Championships, where he finished in fourth place. He closed the year with a top ten finish at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships
.
in 2007. He set a course record of 31:08 at the Reusslauf in Bremgarten that February. He made his half marathon
debut at the Rotterdam Half Marathon
and stepped up to the full marathon
distance in October, running at the Cologne Marathon
, which he finished in a time of 2:15:08. A series of injuries affected his running from 2007 to 2009. He returned his focus to the track and reached the 10,000 m final at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona
, finishing in sixth place.
Belz announced his retirement from international competition at the end of 2010, citing his desire to focus on both his family and his work as a specialist in sports economics. He is married to Anita Brägger, another Swiss Olympic runner.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
long-distance runner. He was initially a steeplechase
Steeplechase (athletics)
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...
r and represented Switzerland in the event at the World Championships in Athletics in 1999 and 2001 as well as the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. He broke the national record with a run of 8:22.24 in June 2001. Later that year he won two bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
s at the 2001 Summer Universiade
2001 Summer Universiade
The 2001 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXI Summer Universiade, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, between the 22 August and 1 September. A total of 6757 athletes from 165 nations took part in 12 sports...
.
He began to focus on the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
instead and was one of two Europeans to make the world final at the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
. He was eliminated in the heats at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but broke another Swiss record at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
, running 27:53.16 in the 10,000 metres. He was fourth at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
A switch to road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
was hindered by injury throughout 2007 to 2009. He made his final major appearance at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and announced his international retirement at the end of that year.
Steeplechaser
Born in ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, he started his career in athletics as a specialist in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He earned All-American honours competing for the Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
while studying at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. It was in the steeplechase that he made his first international appearances for Switzerland. He was selected for the 1999 World Championships in Athletics
1999 World Championships in Athletics
The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....
and finished eighth in his heat. He made his Olympic debut the following year at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...
and was again knocked out in the heats after an eighth place finish.
The 2001 season marked an improvement in his performances: he set a personal best and Swiss record
Swiss records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Switzerland maintained by its national athletics federation: Swiss Athletics .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:OT = oversized track-External links:* * *...
in the steeplechase with a time of 8:22.24 at the FBK Games in Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...
in July. He made a global final for the first time at the 2001 World Championships
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
and finished in thirteenth place with a time of 8:31.43. A month later he competed at the 2001 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 2001 Summer Universiade
At the 2001 Summer Universiade, the athletics events were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country, China, took the most gold medals and the most medals overall . The United States were a close...
and had his first international podium finish, taking the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
s in both the steeplechase and 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
. At the end of the year he participated at the 2001 European Cross Country Championships
2001 European Cross Country Championships
The 8th European Cross Country Championships were held at Thun in Switzerland on 9 December 2001. Serhiy Lebid took his second title in the men's competition and Yamna Belkacem won the women's race.-Men individual 9.15km:Total 77 competitors-Men teams:...
, held on home turf in Thun
Thun
Thun is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 42,136 inhabitants , as of 1 January 2006....
, and he took fifth place in a field of 77 runners.
Switch to flat running
He began to expand his event repertoire and doubled up in the steeplechase and 5000 metres races at the 2002 European Athletics Championships. He failed to reach the steeplechase final but managed twelfth in the 5000 m event final. He began to focus on running the flat distances thereafter. He made his world cross country runningCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
debut in 2003, finishing in eighteenth place in the short race at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 31st IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 29-30 March 2003 in Lausanne and Avenches , Switzerland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
. He was the best Swiss performer at the event, heading the national team (including Viktor Röthlin
Viktor Röthlin
Viktor Röthlin is a Swiss long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon.He won the silver medal at the 2006 European Championships in Goteborg Sweden, the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka Japan, and the gold medal at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona Spain.He...
) to seventh in the rankings. He was also chosen for the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
and reached the final of the 5000 m. He ended up in 13th place, but he was one of only two Europeans in the world final, alongside Juan Carlos de la Ossa
Juan Carlos de la Ossa
Juan Carlos de la Ossa is a Spanish middle distance runner who mostly concentrates on the 5000 and 10,000 metres. He won a bronze medal in the latter event at the 2006 European Championships in Athletics. His personal best time is 27:27.80 minutes, achieved in April 2005 in...
of Spain. He also ran in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but did not make it past the heats stage on his second Olympic appearance.
He competed at the 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 33rd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2005 in Saint-Étienne and Saint-Galmier , France.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
and was 28th in the short race. He had greater success on the track by winning the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
over 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
at the 2005 European Cup. He elected to run the 10,000 metres at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
and broke Markus Ryffel
Markus Ryffel
Markus Ryffel is a Swiss long-distance runner who won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic 5000 metres final in Los Angeles. He set the Swiss record at 13:07.54 min...
's long-standing national record with a run of 27:53.16 for fourteenth place. The following year he retained his 3000 m title at the 2006 European Cup and came close to a 10,000 m medal at the 2006 European Athletics Championships, where he finished in fourth place. He closed the year with a top ten finish at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships
2006 European Cross Country Championships
The 13th European Cross Country Championships were held at San Giorgio su Legnano in Italy on 10 December 2006. Mohammed Farah took the title in the men's competition, while Tetyana Holovchenko won the women's race.-Men individual 9.95km:...
.
Road and retirement
He began to change his focus to road runningRoad running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
in 2007. He set a course record of 31:08 at the Reusslauf in Bremgarten that February. He made his half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
debut at the Rotterdam Half Marathon
Rotterdam Half Marathon
The Rotterdam Half Marathon was an annual half marathon race over 21.1 kilometres, that was staged in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on the second Sunday in September. The event was contested from 2004 to 2009. It was discontinued in 2010 due to lacking participation.- Winners :-External links:* from...
and stepped up to the full marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance in October, running at the Cologne Marathon
Cologne Marathon
The Cologne Marathon is an annual marathon held in Cologne, Germany. Since October 1997 the marathon has been held annually in early October, except for 2004 and 2005 when it was held in late September.-Course:...
, which he finished in a time of 2:15:08. A series of injuries affected his running from 2007 to 2009. He returned his focus to the track and reached the 10,000 m final at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, finishing in sixth place.
Belz announced his retirement from international competition at the end of 2010, citing his desire to focus on both his family and his work as a specialist in sports economics. He is married to Anita Brägger, another Swiss Olympic runner.
Personal bests
| Surface | Event | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:22.24 NR Swiss records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Switzerland maintained by its national athletics federation: Swiss Athletics .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:OT = oversized track-External links:* * *... |
Hengelo Hengelo Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:... , Netherlands |
4 June 2001 |
| 3000 m | 7:50.65 | Cottbus Cottbus Cottbus is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree. As of , its population was .- History :... , Germany |
5 June 2005 | |
| 5000 m | 13:12.16 | Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder is a municipality located in the Belgian province of province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769... , Netherlands |
2 August 2003 | |
| 10,000 m | 27:53.16 NR Swiss records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Switzerland maintained by its national athletics federation: Swiss Athletics .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:OT = oversized track-External links:* * *... |
Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland |
8 August 2005 | |
| Road | Half marathon Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a... |
1:03:43 | Rotterdam Rotterdam Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre... , Netherlands |
9 September 2007 |
| Marathon Marathon The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race... |
2:15:08 | Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... , Germany |
7 October 2007 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Universiade Athletics at the 2001 Summer Universiade At the 2001 Summer Universiade, the athletics events were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country, China, took the most gold medals and the most medals overall . The United States were a close... |
Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , PR China |
3rd | 5,000 m |
| 3rd | 3,000m steeple | |||