“I am embarrassed to be a Belgian.” With those words, Michaël van der Plaetsen, coach of Nafi Thiam, took out the Belgian athletics federation after the Olympic champion had to give up in the heptathlon. Van der Plaetsen is not known as a fight maker, was there more going on? Certainly: as a coach he took it up for his athlete, but he mainly defended the honor of his love, it turns out. Love flourished in South Africa, but the first seeds were planted at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Thanks to Covid.
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Who is Michaël van der Plaetsen: the all -rounder who would rather become a coach and fell in love with our very best athlete ever
Bytaketonews
Sep 26, 2025