Paulien Couckuyt

In July 2019, she won the gold medal in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Gävle, Sweden, posting a personal best of 56.17s.{{cite web|title=Reekie completes the middle distance double in Gävle |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/reekie-completes-the-middle-distance-double-gavle |website=www.european-athletics.com |date=14 July 2019 |access-date=12 September 2024}}{{cite web|title=EK Beloften: Paulien Couckuyt stoomt naar GOUD op 400m horden! |url=https://www.atni.be/2019/07/14/ek-beloften-paulien-couckuyt-stoomt-naar-het-goud-op-de-400m-horden/ |website=www.atni.be |date=14 July 2019 |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=dutch}}{{cite web|title=Euro espoirs d’athlétisme: médaille d’or et record personnel pour Paulien Couckuyt sur 400 mètres haies |url=https://www.lesoir.be/236512/article/2019-07-14/euro-espoirs-dathletisme-medaille-dor-et-record-personnel-pour-paulien-couckuyt |website=Le Soir |date=14 July 2019 |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=french}} In September, Couckuyt ran another personal best in the 400 metres hurdles at the Belgian Athletics Championships, posting a time of 55.46s, and with this time, she qualified for the 2019 World Athletics Championships.{{cite web|title=Olympische limiet voor Hanne Claes, Paulien Couckuyt knalt naar WK-limiet |url=https://www.atni.be/2019/09/01/paulien-couckuyt-knalt-naar-wk-limiet/ |website=www.atni.be |date=1 September 2019 |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=dutch}}{{cite web|title=Paulien Couckuyt qualifiée pour Doha sur 400m haies, Hanne Claes réussit le minimum pour les JO |url=https://www.lalibre.be/sports/omnisports/2019/09/01/paulien-couckuyt-qualifiee-pour-doha-sur-400m-haies-hanne-claes-reussit-le-minimum-pour-les-jo-4SV2PTUCVVEAFOAP7ADORHCSDE/ |website=La Libre Belgique |date=1 September 2019 |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=french}}

In October, she represented Belgium at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, competing in the women's 400 metres hurdles and women's 4 × 400 metres relay.{{cite web|title=400 METRES HURDLES WOMEN. IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019 |url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/iaaf-world-athletics-championships-doha-2023-7125365/results/women/400-metres-hurdles/heats/result |website=World Athletics |access-date=12 September 2024}}{{cite web|title=4x400 Metres Relay women. IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019 |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/iaaf-world-athletics-championships-doha-2019-6033/results/women/4x400-metres-relay/heats/result |website=iaaf.org |access-date=6 October 2019}}

In May 2021, Couckuyt represented Belgium in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2021 World Athletics Relays in Chorzów, Poland, where the Belgian team finished 7th in the final.{{cite web|title=4x400 Metres Relay women. World Athletics Relays, Chorzów 2019 |url=https://worldathletics.org/results/world-athletics-relays/2021/world-athletics-relays-7144840/women/4x400-metres-relay/final/result |website=World Athletics |access-date=12 September 2024}}{{cite web|title=Relais Mondiaux - Le relais mixte 4e, les Cheetahs 7e et les Tornados 8e |url=https://www.teambelgium.be/fr/nouvelles/relais-mondiaux-le-relais-mixte-4e-les-cheetahs-7e-et-les-tornados-8e |website=Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee |date=2 May 2021 |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=french}} Later in the month, she ran a new personal best at the IFAM meeting in Oordegem, Belgium, and with a time of 55.37s, met the qualification criterium for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.{{cite web | url=https://www.atletiek.be/nieuws/ifam-maakt-reputatie-waar-met-8-nieuwe-limieten| title=IFAM MAAKT REPUTATIE WAAR MET 8 NIEUWE LIMIETEN | website=www.atletiek.be | access-date=12 September 2024 | date=30 May 2021 | language=dutch}}{{cite web|title=IFAM Oordegem: Paulien Couckuyt signe le minima pour les JO de Tokyo sur 400m haies |url=https://www.lesoir.be/375025/article/2021-05-29/ifam-oordegem-paulien-couckuyt-signe-le-minima-pour-les-jo-de-tokyo-sur-400m |website=Le Soir |date=29 May 2021 |access-date=12 September 2024 |language=french}}

At the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, she finished 3th in her heat, setting a new personal best and national record of 54.90s,{{cite web|title=400 METRES HURDLES WOMEN. OLYMPIC GAMES, Tokyo 2020 |url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-7132391/results/women/400-metres-hurdles/heats/result |website=World Athletics |access-date=12 September 2024}} and proceeded to the semi-final where she finished 3th and was eliminated, setting again a personal best and new national record of 54.47s.{{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-7132391/results/women/400-metres-hurdles/semi-final/result | title=400 METRES HURDLES WOMEN. OLYMPIC GAMES, Tokyo 2020| publisher=World Athletics | access-date=12 September 2024}} She also ran in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay with the Belgian team finishing 7th in the final.{{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7132391?eventId=204596&gender=W | title=The XXXII Olympic Games - Women's 4x400 Metres Relay | publisher=World Athletics | access-date=26 August 2024}}

In July 2022, she ran in the final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon finishing 6th.{{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/results/world-athletics-championships/2022/world-athletics-championships-oregon-2022-7137279/women/4x400-metres-relay/final/result | title=World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 - 4x400 Metres Relay women | publisher=World Athletics | access-date=27 August 2024}}{{cite web | url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20220725_91117887 | title=Belgian Tornados halen brons op 4x400 meter, Cheetahs zesde | publisher=De Standaard |date=25 July 2022 | access-date=27 August 2024 |language=dutch}} She also participated in the women's 400 metres hurdles, reaching the semi-final.{{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/results/world-athletics-championships/2022/world-athletics-championships-oregon-2022-7137279/women/400-metres-hurdles/semi-final/result | title=World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022 - 400 Metres hurdles women | publisher=World Athletics | access-date=12 September 2024}} Barely a month later, she ran in the heats of the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, but was eliminated in the heats.{{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7147634?eventId=10229523 | title=European Athletics Championships - Olympiastadion, München (GER) - Women's 400 Metres Hurdles | publisher=World Athletics | access-date=12 September 2024}}

In November 2022, at a training camp with Team Belgium in Belek, Turkey, she incurred a serious injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of her left knee that required an operation and sidelined her for most of the 2023 season.{{cite web | url=https://www.atni.be/2022/12/18/paulien-couckuyt-maanden-buiten-strijd-door-zware-knieblessure/| title=Paulien Couckuyt maanden buiten strijd door zware knieblessure | website=www.atni.be | access-date=12 September 2024 | date=18 December 2022 | language=dutch}}{{cite web | url=https://www.dhnet.be/sports/omnisports/athletisme/2022/12/18/catastrophe-pour-paulien-couckuyt-operee-des-ligaments-croises-CQ5KNWROKFDATFPPJK6PWAMYIE/| title=Catastrophe pour Paulien Couckuyt, opérée des ligaments croisés !| website=La DH Les Sports+ | access-date=12 September 2024 | date=18 December 2022 | language=french}}

Having missed most of the 2023 season through injury, she spent the spring and summer of 2024 chasing the automatic qualification mark of 54.85s for the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 Summer Olympics. On the last day of the Olympic qualification period on 30 June, she ran a 54.94s at the Belgian Athletics Championships, still not meeting the automatic qualification mark, but the time proved good enough to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France via the World Athletics Rankings.{{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/stats-zone/road-to/7153115?eventId=10229523 | title=Road to Paris 24 | publisher=World Athletics | access-date=12 September 2024}} At the Olympics, she reached the semi-final stage but did not qualify for the finals.{{cite web | url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/results/athletics/women-s-400m-hurdles/sfnl-------- | title=WOMEN'S 400M HURDLES SEMI-FINAL RESULTS | website=www.olympics.com. | access-date=13 September 2024}}

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Category:Belgian female middle-distance runners

Category:Belgian female hurdlers

Category:1997 births

Category:Living people

Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Belgium

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic athletes for Belgium

Category:21st-century Belgian sportswomen

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics

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