In April, the marathon in Rotterdam gave him another personal best on (2h06:56), and also a ticket to the Olympic Games. Naert saw the World Cup as the ideal preparation for Paris, but is not sufficiently ready due to inflammation of the Achilles tendon and bursa around the haglund exostosis. “It has been bothering me for some time, but the injury is now having a real effect on my training schedule, so unfortunately I have to take it a bit easier,” the Oostkamp resident said on Instagram.
Naert does not feel like finishing a world championship at 90 percent of his ability. He is now looking for another marathon to get ready for the Games in Paris. Remarkably, Naert has never run a world championship. This should have been his first participation after he had to forfeit three times before. Naert is the 2018 European Marathon Champion in Berlin.