Introduction
John Heymans (born 9 January 1998) is a Belgian long-distance runner. He has won two national titles (3000 metres indoor and cross-country in 2021). He is a member of Royal Excelsior Club Brussels. After finishing his MSc in Bioengineering and Nanotechnology from the KU Leuven in September 2022, he decided to become a professional athlete.
Early life
John Heymans was born in Vilvoorde, Belgium on January 9, 1998. He grew up in the town of Rossem, province of Flemish Brabant. As a teenager Heymans played national-level hockey but took up competitive running in 2016. In his first year in college he combined both sports, but soon decided to focus completely on running.
Running career
On December 10, 2017, at the age of 19, Heymans participated as a junior in the European Cross Country Championships in Samorín, Slovakia. He finished 24th, 31 seconds behind winner Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway. Team Belgium got 4th place in the Junior team ranking that year.
In 2019, Heymans returned to the European Cross Country Championships, held on December 8, 2019 in Lisboa, Portugal. He finished in 24th position in the Umder-23 race, 1'13" behind winner Jimmy Gressier from France. Team Belgium ranked 6th in the U-23 category. On August 16, 2020, Heymans finished 6th in the 1500m at the Belgian National Championships in Brussels, Belgium in a time of 3:51.51.
Heymans took his first national title on February 20, 2021, when he won the 3000m race at the Belgian National Indoor Championships in 7:51.57. With his winning time Heymans qualified for the European Championships in Torun, Poland, where he finished 7th in the heats in a time of 7:58.13.
Only one week later, on February 28, 2021, Heymans won his second national title at the Belgian National Championships cross country in Laken, Belgium.
Heymans had a difficult 2021 season with stress fractures and COVID-19 infections. Nevertheless, without much preparation Heymans managed to place 6th at the 2022 Belgian National Cross Country Championships in Brussels on March 6, 2022.
After he finished his studies in September 2022, Heymans turned professional.
Heymans returned to the European Cross Country Championships in Torino, Italy on December 11, 2022. In the first couple of laps, Heymans stayed close to the front runners. In the middle part of the race Heymans lost a bit of terrain, but came back strong in the final lap, passing three competitors to finish in 14th place, his best European Cross Country Championships ranking up to that date. Team Belgium ranked 4th in the teams competition.
On 5 February 2023 at the IFAM Gent Indoor in the Topsporthal Vlaanderen, Heymans finished second in a time of 7:45.48 in the 3000 metres, six seconds faster than his personal best from 2021.
At the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlelor on 11 February 2023, Heymans finished third in 7:42.55 in the 3000 metres beating his best from the week before by another three seconds. With this time, Heymans qualified for the 2023 European Indoor Championships, held from 2 to 5 March 2023 at the Ataköy Arena in Istanbul.
At the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, USA on 26 January 2024, Heymans broke the national indoor record for the 5000 metres in a time of 13:03:46, beating the Olympic entry standard of 13:05.00, and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Achievements
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Belgium | |||||
| 2017 | European Cross Country Championships | Šamorín, Slovakia | 24th | U20 race (6 km) | 19:10 |
| 2019 | European Cross Country Championships | Lisboa, Portugal | U23 race (8 km) | 25:30 | |
| 2021 | European Athletics Indoor Championships | Torun, Poland | N/A | 3000 m | DQ |
| 2022 | European Cross Country Championships | La Mandria Park | 14th | Senior race (10 km) | 30:21 |
| 2023 | European Athletics Indoor Championships | Ataköy Arena | 17th (h) | 3000 m | 7:57.87 |
| World Championships | National Athletics Centre | 26th (h) | 5000 m | 13:39.67 | |
| European Cross Country Championships | Brussels, Belgium | 8th | Senior race (10 km) | 30:34 | |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Commonwealth Arena | 8th | 3000 m | 7:48.18 |
Sources:
Personal bests
- 1500 metres – 3:38.19 (Brussels 2024)
- 3000 metres – 7:41.59i (Liévin 2024)
- 5000 metres – 13:03:46i (Boston 2024)