Today was the sort of day that makes it all worthwhile as a coach.  After months in which patience was perhaps even more important than training, Senne Laenens was finally back competing at a major championship. At the end of March, disaster struck during a race in Terneuzen: a hamstring tear measuring no less than 10 cm. From that moment on, a long road to recovery began, involving rehabilitation, carefully building up her fitness, doubts, small steps forward and, above all, a great deal of patience... .
Aujourd’hui, aux Jeux européens de la jeunesse sourde, c’était l’épreuve de vérité. Et le programme ne laissait planer aucun doute. D’abord les séries du 100 mètres, à peine une heure plus tard la finale, puis la finale du saut en longueur. L’après-midi, le 200 mètres était normalement également au programme.

100 metres – European gold
In the heats, it was immediately clear that Senne was ready. With a time of 11.78 seconds, he clocked the fastest time of all the competitors. But it was in the final that everything came together. Senne sprinted to 11.34 seconds – a new personal best – and, ahead of an Irishman and a Turk, claimed his first European gold medal.
After everything that has happened over the past few months, that in itself was a special moment. But his day was far from over.

Long Jump – Gold Again
Barely having recovered from the 100 metres, the long jump final was already waiting. Facing stiff competition, including from Ukraine, Senne had to be on his toes right from the start.
And he was. On his very first jump, he landed at 6.36 metres. An improvement on his personal best by no less than 24 centimetres.
No one would jump any further. A second European title. A second gold medal.

Two finals, two personal bests and two European titles. As a coach, you can’t help but feel immensely proud. But… perhaps the most important decision of the day didn’t come until the afternoon. Whilst warming up for the 200 metres, Senne felt his hamstring playing up again. At a time like that, even as a young athlete, you have to dare to listen to your body. After consulting with his physiotherapist at the training base in Deurne, it was decided to withdraw from the 200 metres. It’s not an easy decision when you’ve just won the European title twice and are buzzing with adrenaline. But it’s the right one. There will be more matches and championships to come. His health and continued development remain the top priority.

And then there is that special link with the past. Exactly 50 years ago, his late grandfather, Fons Brydenbach, competed in the final of the 400 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. He finished fourth and narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal. Fifty years later, his grandson is competing at a European Championships and writing his own story. Not as ‘the grandson of’, but as Senne Laenens. A young athlete who, after a serious injury, is fighting his way back, setting two personal bests and returning home with two European gold medals...

As a coach, I’m looking beyond those two gold medals today. Above all, I see just how much hard work, patience and perseverance it took to be back here again. I’m proud of the performances. But I’m even prouder of the journey that led to them.  

In good spirits but with some trepidation, I set off as Athletics Technical Delegate for the European Deaf Youth Games in Hanover, as the athlete Senne Laenens had only resumed training at the start of July following a hamstring injury he sustained in March in Terneuzen and had not yet got into a competitive rhythm.
For Senne, it was all new… exercising without a hearing aid for the first time, as well as her very first experience of the new starting light system on an athletics track. 
Marina is particularly pleased with the excellent teamwork within the Belgian delegation: thanks to the interpreter, communication between Senne, myself, the parents, the coach and the rest of the Belgian delegation went very smoothly. The on-site organisation wasn’t entirely smooth, but that didn’t dampen the atmosphere within the group.

All in all, we’ve already set our sights on a new goal: the U20 World Cup, which will take place next year, from 22 to 24 July 2027, in São Paulo, Brazil!