| Birth date | 27 June 1992 (age 34) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Virton, Belgium |
| Height | 1.87 m |
| Weight | 82 kg |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | 400 metres, 400 m hurdles |
| Club | AC Dampicourt |
Julien Watrin (born 27 June 1992)[1] is a Belgian sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. In 2023, he won his first individual major senior medal, with silver at the European Indoor Championships. Watrin earned several major medals with national men's 4 × 400 m relays, including bronzes at the 2019 and 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Career
He is the Belgian record holder for the 400 m hurdles, Belgian indoor record holder for the 400 m, and won several national titles.
He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in September 2023 which prevented him from participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[2] After successful treatment, he made his return on the international stage at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, winning a silver medal as a member of Belgium's 4 × 400 m mixed relay team[3][4] and a bronze medal as a member of Belgium's men 4 × 400 m relay team.[5]
In March 2026, he was selected for the relays at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland.[6] On the second day of competition, on 21 March, he won the gold medal in the first ever indoor mixed 4 × 400 metres relay running alongside Ilana Hanssens, Jonathan Sacoor and Helena Ponette [7][8] Their time of 3:15.60 was the fastest short track performance recorded for the event.[9] One day later, on 22 March, he won a silver medal in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay running alongside Christian Iguacel, Jonathan Sacoor and Alexander Doom.[10]
Statistics
International competitions
Personal bests
- 100 metres – 10.39 (+1.5 m/s, Mannheim 2010)
- 200 metres – 20.80 (−0.4 m/s, Brussels 2013)
- 200 metres indoor – 20.90 (Ghent 2023)
- 400 metres – 45.56 (La Chaux-de-Fonds 2021)
- 400 metres indoor – 45.44 (Istanbul 2023) '
- 400 m hurdles – 48.66 (Brussels 2022) '
National titles
- Belgian Athletics Championships
- 100 metres: 2012, 2013
- 200 metres: 2020
- 400 metres: 2016
- 400 m hurdles: 2019
- Belgian Indoor Athletics Championships
- 400 metres: 2022
See also
References
- ^
- ^ "Cancer Ends Paris Olympics Dream for 31-YO Track and Field Star". EssentiallySports. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "Femke Bol inspires Dutch to historic 4x400m mixed relay title at Apeldoorn 2025". European Athletic Association. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "ZILVER! Gemengde estafetteploeg schenkt België meteen medaille op openingsdag EK indoor" [SILVER! Mixed relay team immediately awards Belgium with medal on opening day of European Indoor Championships] (in dutch). Sporza. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "Five gold medals! Super Sunday as Dutch close Apeldoorn 2025 with glorious finale". European Athletic Association. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "La Belgique avec une équipe ambitieuse aux Championnats du Monde en salle en Pologne". lbfa.be. Mar 10, 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "CHAOTIC MIXED RELAY IN TORUŃ SEES BELGIUM EMERGE WITH GOLD". Athletics Weekly. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "Belgium takes inaugural world indoor mixed 4x400m title in Kujawy Pomorze". World Athletics. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "Belgium makes world indoor history on day two in Kujawy Pomorze". World Athletics. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "USA breaks championship record in men's 4x400m in Kujawy Pomorze". World Athletics. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.