In the cosy De Veen Stadium in Heusden-Zolder, Noor Vidts will be one of the eye-catchers of the 43rd KBC Nacht on Saturday. The 26-year-old from Flemish Brabant – the reigning World Indoor Champion in the pentathlon and number 4 of the Olympic heptathlon in Tokyo – will be in action in the 100m hurdles on Saturday. It is her penultimate race before travelling to the United States, where she will try to win a heptathlon medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene (15-24 July).
In the 400 metres hurdles, Paulien Couckuyt, who is also in full preparation for the World Championships, is the one to watch. With a season best of 55.30, the 25-year-old from Antwerp was crowned Belgian Champion last weekend in Gentbrugge. The KBC Nacht will also give us a duel between Ismael Debjani and Michael Somers in the 5000 metres, in the same way as at the Belgian Championships did. At the World Championships in Eugene, Debjani will compete in the 1500 metres.
The 1500 metres in Heusden-Zolder next Saturday promises to be a battle between brand-new Belgian Champion Ruben Verheyden, Tarik Moukrim and Thomas Vanoppen. Belgium’s best woman in the 1500 metres, Elise Vanderelst, will choose the 800 metres at the KBC Nacht. The 24-year-old from Hainaut has a good chance of competing in the World Championships in the 1500 metres because of her position in the world rankings and the European Championships limit for that distance is already in the pocket. The European Championships will be held in Munich, Germany from 15 to 21 August.
For Rani Rosius, the European Championships are her big goal this season. With a time of 11.28, a new personal best, the 22-year-old from Limburg was crowned Belgian Champion of the 100 metres. To qualify for a direct ticket to the European Championships, Rosius still has to run 4 hundredths faster. Will she be able to pull that off with the support of her home crowd at the KBC Nacht on Saturday? The fans in Heusden-Zolder will be able to see her in action twice, as the programme also features 4x100m.
Belgium’s fastest man of the moment, Kobe Vleminckx, will also be in action at the KBC Nacht. The 24-year-old from the Kempen took gold in the 100 metres with a new personal best of 10.25 at the Belgian Championships. This makes Vleminckx the fourth fastest Belgian of all time. The European Championships limit is 10.16. Jonathan Sacoor is the eye-catcher in the 400 metres. The Belgian Tornado contracted corona in late May and is still looking to improve his level. The European Championships in Munich will be Sacoor’s main goal this summer.
The main programme of the 43rd edition of the KBC Nacht starts on Saturday at 6pm. Spectators are welcome in the De Veen Stadium from midday to watch the youth games, which start at 1 pm.
