Robert Van de Walle

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 at the age of 34. Van de Walle won European titles in 1980, 1985 and 1986.[2] 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.[3] He was the head of the Belgian delegation at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[4] In summer 2021, 14 years after obtaining the rank of black belt 8th dan; Van De Walle, currently a member of Judo Club Crossing Schaerbeek, accepted his promotion to 9th dan from the International Judo Federation.[5]

Robert Van de Walle
Van de Walle (2nd left) at the 1980 Olympics
Personal information
Born (1954-05-20) 20 May 1954
Ostend, Belgium
OccupationJudoka
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
CountryBelgium
SportJudo
Weight class–95 kg, Open
Rank     9th dan black belt[1]
ClubCrossing Schaerbeek
Achievements and titles
Olympic Games (1980)
World Champ. (1979, 1981)
European Champ. (1980, 1985, 1986)
Medal record
Men's judo
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 Open
1983 Moscow ‍–‍95 kg
1985 Seoul ‍–‍95 kg
1989 Belgrade ‍–‍95 kg
European Championships
1980 Vienna Open
1985 Hamar ‍–‍95 kg
1986 Belgrade ‍–‍95 kg
1976 Kyiv ‍–‍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
World Juniors Championships
1974 Rio de Janeiro ‍–‍93 kg
European Cadet Championships
1971 Naples ‍–‍85 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF8904
JudoInside.com4760
Updated on 18 June 2023

Bibliography
  • (1993) "Pick-ups" Judo Masterclass Techniques Ippon Books

References
  1. "IJF Dan Grades Awardees" (PDF). International Judo Federation. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. Robert Van De Walle (Belgium). realjudo.net
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Robert Van de Walle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
  4. Betere resultaten door uw energiepotentieel te optimaliseren. resourcementcentre.be
  5. "IJF Dan Grades Awardees" (PDF). International Judo Federation. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.

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