Leendert began his journey at the Deaflympics with his first competition on 20 November in the 400 m freestyle. In this swimming discipline, he surprised everyone again with a new Belgian record and a strong 6th place, securing himself a spot in the final. The time differences between the finalists were very small, but in the final he ultimately achieved 6th place with a time of 4:10.20.
After his excellent performance in the 400 metres, Leendert continued his strong run in the 200 m freestyle. Although the final came unexpectedly, he qualified with the 5th fastest time from the heats and ultimately swam to a creditable 7th place in the final with a time of 1:59.31. Although he was not entirely satisfied himself, as a true top athlete he knows that he was faster in the morning, this remains an impressive achievement that also earned him a Deaflympic diploma. The presence of Eduard Van Kleunen, Deputy Head of Mission at the Belgian Embassy, provided visible extra motivation.
However, Leendert's ambition extends further. In the 800 m freestyle heats, he once again qualified convincingly, this time with the fourth-fastest time, earning him a third consecutive place in the final. In this final, he achieved an honourable 4th place with a time of 8:37.25.
In the final swimming event, the 1,500 m freestyle, Leendert once again secured fourth place in the final, this in the presence of the Japanese Emperor and his family. In this heat, he swam a time of 16:55.66, finishing in third place behind the favourite from Ukraine, Boldyrev, and Wojcik from Poland. Leendert ultimately set a new national record in the final with a time of 16:40.69, securing him fourth place. Once again, he just missed out on a podium place... behind the same Chinese swimmer Zhang, who pipped him to a well-deserved third place (as he did in the 800 m freestyle!).
With strong results (four top-eight finals and two Belgian records), impressive form and growing international attention, Leendert Desmet remains a wonderful ambassador for Belgian swimming.
