Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nWas specializing in long-distance routes an obvious choice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI actually started athletics at the age of 7, and around the age of 12 I had to choose a discipline to concentrate on. Unfortunately, I had growing pains in my knees, so I couldn't do much except run. So I opted for the long distances. I really liked the long distance, although I regretted not having the opportunity to develop my skills in other events, such as the long jump or the sprint. As I got older, my aches and pains disappeared, so I was able to train regularly and make good progress, until I fell in love with the 800m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nAt the age of 14, I was invited to the elite middle-distance school in Belgium, and in the years that followed, I continued to progress over distances ranging from 400m to 3000m, where I also had the opportunity to win my first national cross-country title.<\/p>\n\n\n
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So far, so good!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSo far, so good. But when I was 18, I got sick with a bacterial infection in my blood. It prevented me from racing for over five months. The recovery was very difficult, but I still managed to get my first international qualification at the end of the year. It took me about two years to get back to my best level and be considered a National Elite again. But I fell ill again two years later; the same infection. I even had to stop my university studies, as I was too ill to attend classes. It was hard to bear because I knew what I'd already had to endure, but once again I was back at my best after two years of training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, I worked hard, but I felt like I'd lost four years of my career. I was already 23, but had missed out on so much. I was behind in many aspects of training. My body could do great things, but it was still very weak. I kept working hard, because I never stopped believing in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Today I'm 27 years old. I've already competed in ten international championships; seven cross-country and three track. I reached the final of the European indoor championships in 2021, and qualified for the world championships for the first time in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Vanessa Scaunet at the Worlds in 2022<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nA fine record of achievement already! Even if it has been fraught with difficulties...<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe pitfalls I continued to encounter until 2023. I caught the Covid and it turned into a long Covid. I had to rest and put aside my goals for the year. But I seem to be used to illnesses by now... So I knew I was going to be okay. It's put me behind schedule in my preparations for the Paris Olympics! But I keep believing in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I've heard that during your athletic journey, you met your soul mate... A soul mate, but also, a coach.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYes, I'm coached by Ivo Roelandt, my partner in life. We work out the training programs together and it works out pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nHow do you manage this relationship?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt's not very complicated for me. We're both passionate about athletics. We met in Mont\u00e9 Gordo in 2016 when we were both on a training camp. He was still an athlete at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I left my coach at the time in 2019, then proposed to Ivo that he become my coach. He accepted. It was a decision we took by mutual agreement and I have no regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Vanessa and her coach Ivo<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhen I won my medal at the cross-country championships, the emotion I felt when we hugged was extraordinary. But afterwards, when the performances aren't so good, it's more complicated. But we've made a promise to each other that we'll always be honest and, above all, not to confuse our athlete-coach relationship with that of lovers. If things aren't going well in sport, it won't affect our private relationship. It's very important to be able to separate the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are your goals for this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI'd like to take part in the Olympic Games. It's been my dream since I was a little girl. Just like a Diamond League! Because these are the biggest events after the international championships. But for this season, I'm concentrating on qualifying for the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you doing anything to qualify? Are you experiencing any difficulties?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI'm off on a five-week training course in Spain's Sierra Nevada. The altitude is 3479 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Vanessa, currently on a training course in Spain<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI got my master's degree as a sports dietician in February, which means I can concentrate and focus on my training, recovery and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of difficulties, I'm behind in my preparation and my body isn't at 100%. The indoor season was a bit complicated and I've dropped down the world ranking, which could be a hindrance to me taking part in some good competitions this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the non-athletics context, do you have any particular expectations or hopes?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI love helping other people achieve their goals. That's why I started online coaching. I draw up training plans, for those who want to run their first 10km or half-marathon, for example. And I also help with nutrition, as I'm a dietician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My website is currently under construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg>Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
R\u00e9alis\u00e9 par Trackandmemes, le 28 mai 2024 Dans le demi-fond belge, on ne peut pas passer \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de Vanessa Scaunet, athl\u00e8te du CABW. Il y a bient\u00f4t trois ans, au Royaume-Uni, ses foul\u00e9es ont marqu\u00e9 le double tour de piste en 2\u2019 02\u2019\u2019 05. C\u2019est actuellement sa meilleure r\u00e9f\u00e9rence sur 800m, bien qu\u2019elle ait […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[214,213,212,215,211,210],"class_list":["post-2051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courses-hors-stade","category-courses-sur-piste","tag-coach-et-athlete-amour","tag-cross-country-belgique","tag-demi-fond-belge","tag-dieteticienne-athlete","tag-jeux-olympiques-belgique","tag-vanessa-scaunet"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2051"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2077,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2051\/revisions\/2077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trackandmemes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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