Ronald Desruelles
Ronald Desruelles (14 February 1955 – 1 November 2015) was a Belgian athlete. He started as a long jumper, and achieved a personal best of 8.08 in 1979, a national record that stood for 17 years. He then concentrated on the short sprints, and won numerous medals in 60 metres. With 6.57 seconds in 1986 he was ranked third on the indoor top performers list that season.[1] He lost a gold medal at the 1980 European Indoor Championships, however, because of a doping offense.[2] Desruelles won the Belgian 100 metres championships 7 times. He also won the 200 in 1985. In the 1986 European championships in Stuttgart he reached the 100 m semi-final.
Desruelles was born in Antwerp. His brother Patrick Desruelles competed in the men's pole vault. Ronald was found dead in a hotel in Thailand on 1 November 2015 [3]
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing .svg.png){kind=small} Belgium | |||||
| 1976 | Olympic Games | Montreal, Canada | 17th (q) | Long jump | 7.60 m |
| 1978 | European Indoor Championships | Milan, Italy | 2nd | Long jump | 7.75 m |
| 1980 | European Indoor Championships | Sindelfingen, Germany | disqualified | Long jump | |
| 1984 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 3rd | 60 m | 6.69 |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 17th (h) | 100 m | 10.46 |
| 1985 | World Indoor Games | Paris, France | 3rd | 60 m | 6.64 |
| European Indoor Championships | Piraeus, Greece | 3rd | 60 m | 6.68 | |
| 1986 | European Indoor Championships | Madrid, Spain | 1st | 60 m | 6.61 |
| 1986 | European Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 13th (sf) | 100 m | 10.43 |
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 6th | 60 m | 6.67 |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 30th (qf) | 100 m | 10.69 |
| 1988 | European Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | 60 m | 6.60 |
| (#) Indicates overall position in qualifying round (q) qualifying heats (h) quarterfinals (qf) or semifinals (sf) | |||||
Notes:
- Desruelles was the original winner of the long jump at the 1980 European Indoor Championship before being disqualified for a doping violation.
- Desruelles won his first round heat at the 1984 Olympics but withdrew from the second round.