Jan Linsen

A horticulturist by profession, Belgium’s Jan Linsen was also a champion long-distance runner. Linsen ran in the marathon at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics where he led the race for the early stages before falling back to finish in 42nd place. He won his first national title in 1929 with victory in the 10,000 metres. He retained his title the following year in addition to winning the 5,000 metres title. He won his fourth and final Belgian title in 1933 with a win in the cross-country race.

Linsen had an impressive list of victories during his career including the Tour of Mechelen (1928, 1930), the Amsterdam marathon (1932), and the Tour of Antwerpen (1931–32). In 1933 he suffered with a serious health issue, with one newspaper even printing a premature obituary in July of that year. Although his career as a runner was over, he continued to be active in the sport by becoming a coach at FCMA. In 1934 the team, under Linsen’s tutorage, won the club classification at the 1934 Belgian cross-country championship.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-52:35 (1931).