CLAES Hanne

General
'SECOND CAREER' AFTER INJURY
Speaking in 2019 she said she considered quitting the sport after missing out on a chance to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro due to injury, which came four years after missing out on the 2012 Olympic Games in London. But after starting to work with a new coach, Jacques Borlee, she felt like she had begun a "second career" in the sport. "Unfortunately we just missed the final [to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London] by one hundredth of a second. The disappointment in our team was immense, but a seed was planted, the Olympics in Rio in 2016 became my goal. [However], I lost nearly four years due to an Achilles tendon injury. I was always in pain, and I missed the Games in Rio because of an operation. I then considered quitting athletics, but in the end I decided to completely change my career and start with a new coach. Since I've missed so much, I now [2019] feel like I am at the start of my second career. If my body holds up, I'd like to continue for a few more years. Because of all my injuries, I now appreciate and enjoy sport much more now." (hanneclaes.com, 29 Dec 2019; nieuwsblad.be, 07 Dec 2019)

INJURY RECOVERY
During the almost four years that she was affected by her Achilles tendon injury from 2014-2018, she travelled throughout South America and Australia, and says she met medical specialists in Australia who helped rehabilitate the injury. "In Melbourne [Australia] I happened to meet two Achilles tendon experts. They changed my rehabilitation program 180 degrees and gave me different exercises than I was used to at home. Miraculously, the new approach worked. After about four months I was able to live without pain again." (elle.be, 23 Mar 2020; hanneclaes.com, 29 Dec 2019)

BELGIAN CHEETAHS
In February 2018 she and Camille Laus formed the 'Belgian Cheetahs' group with the ultimate aim of representing Belgium in the 4x400m relay at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. They were later joined by coach Carole Kaboud Mebam and teammates Cynthia Bolingo, Justien Grillet and Margot Van Puyvelde. "The time we had to run for Olympic qualification was very fast. We had to be faster than the 38-year-old Belgian record. Nobody believed we could do that." The team ran their first race in 2018, and went on to reach the final of the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where they broke the national record and qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (hanneclaes.com, 29 Dec 2019)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has two master's degrees, one in sport science and a second in business management, both from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. (hanneclaes.com, 29 Dec 2019)