Robert Van de Walle

Robert Van de Walle

Van de Walle (2nd left) at the 1980 Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	Belgium
Born	(1954-05-20) 20 May 1954 (age 62) Ostend, Belgium
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	95 kg (209 lb; 15.0 st)
Sport
Sport	Judo
Club	Crossing Schaerbeek
Medal record Representing  Belgium Olympic Games 1980 Moscow -95 kg 1988 Seoul -95 kg World Championships 1979 Paris -95 kg 1981 Maastricht -95 kg 1981 Maastricht Open 1983 Moscow -95 kg 1983 Moscow Open 1985 Seoul -95 kg 1989 Belgrade -95 kg European Championships 1980 Vienna Open 1985 Hamar -95 kg 1986 Belgrade -95 kg 1976 Kiev -93 kg 1977 Ludwigshafen -95 kg 1979 Brussels -95 kg 1983 Paris Open 1984 Liege -95 kg 1977 Ludwigshafen Open 1978 Helsinki -95 kg 1979 Brussels Open 1980 Vienna -95 kg 1981 Debrecen -95 kg 1983 Paris -95 kg 1984 Liege Open 1987 Paris -95 kg 1988 Pamplona -95 kg

Robert Van de Walle (born 20 May 1954) is a retired Belgian judoka. He was the first judoka to ever compete at five Olympics, from 1976 to 1992. Competing in the half-heavyweight category he won the gold medal in 1980 and a bronze in 1988, aged 34. Van de Walle won European titles in 1980, 1985 and 1986. Together with Ingrid Berghmans he was the face of Belgian judo in the late 1970s and 1980s. After retiring from competitions he ran a coaching company, together with his wife. He headed the Belgian delegation at the 2004 Summer Olympics.