Léon Schots
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Belgium
|
||
| IAAF World Cross Country Championships | ||
 |
1977 Düsseldorf | Long race |
|
1977 Düsseldorf | Team race |
 |
1980 Paris | Team race |
Léon Schots (born 11 June 1952) is a Belgian former long-distance runner who competed in track and cross country running competitions. His greatest achievement was a gold medal at the 1977 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he also led Belgium to the team title.
He was an eleven time national champion, with victories from 1500 metres to 10,000 metres on the track in addition to three Belgian cross country titles. He twice represented Belgium at the European Athletics Championships (1974 and 1978). He also placed fourth at the 1980 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, sharing in the team bronze, and was a three-time champion at the World Military Cross Country Championships.
Born in Halen, he began training with the R.F.C. de Liège running club and made his first appearance at the International Cross Country Championships in 1971, coming 32nd in the junior category. He returned the following year and placed sixteenth. At the 1973 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (the debut of the IAAF event) he won his first international medal in the form of the junior bronze medal.
In his first year as a senior athlete he won a double at the Belgian Championships, taking the 1500 metres and 5000 metres national titles. Later that year he competed at the 1974 European Athletics Championships in the longer event, but failed to finish the race. Schots repeated his Belgian double the following year. He endured a groin injury in early 1976, which interrupted his training. He hoped to make the team for the 1976 Olympic Games, but his injury and the presence of many other top quality Belgian long-distance runners meant he did not make the team. The 1970s was a historic high point for Belgian men's athletics, with Ivo Van Damme, Karel Lismont and Emiel Puttemans all winning Olympic medals and Erik De Beck becoming the world champion in cross country.
...
Wikipedia