A lot has changed for Koen Smet in recent months. The thirteen-time Dutch champion hurdles became a father for the first time. “I am suddenly different in the car now”, the Amsterdammer jokes after the FBK Games.
“It really changes you as a person,” Smet says about having a child. His daughter Siena was born on March 22. “Now I have to think about what time I have to go home to feed the little one. I am a very happy person and that is the most important thing,” said Smet, who speaks of a “new breath of fresh air that he was ready for”.
World Cup baby
Initially, Smet would participate in the World Indoor Championships in March. After winning gold at the NK indoor, he seemed to be getting ready for a good result in Belgrade. His wife’s contractions completely turned that planning upside down and Smet chose to to stay at home† “I did look at the results, but afterwards I’m so glad I wasn’t there. The World Cup didn’t interest me at the time.”
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Although Smet naturally spends a lot of time with his family, his sports performance does not suffer. At the FBK Games in Hengelo, he set his fastest time of this outdoor season with 13.66 seconds. “I am efficient in my training sessions and less concerned with peripheral matters,” says Smet, who wants to be a happy father this year, regardless of fast times.