Ilana Hanssens

Hanssens is a member of ASV Oudenaarde (ASVO) and studies Educational Science at Gent University.^[2][3] She was the Belgian under-23 champion in the 400 metres hurdles in September 2024.^[4]

Hanssens placed second to Paulien Couckuyt in the 400 metres at the 2025 Belgian Indoor Athletics Championships. ^[5] She competed for Belgium at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China, running in both the Women’s 4 × 400 metres relay and the Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the championships in May 2025.^[6][7] Later that month, Hanssens won the IFAM Ghent in the 400 metres hurdles and also ran a new personal best in the 400 metres at IFAM Brussels.^[8] That summer, she represented Belgium at the 2025 Summer World University Games in Bochum, Germany, where she finished sixth in the 400 m hurdles final in a time of 56.95 seconds, having run a personal best of 56.50 seconds in the preliminary heats.^[9][10]

Hanssens set a new 400 metres personal best of 52.86 seconds in Gent in January 2026.^[11] She placed second behind Helena Ponette in the 400 metres at the 2026 Belgian Indoor Athletics Championships.^[12] In March 2026, she was selected for the relays at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, winning the gold medal in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay on 21 March running alongside Jonathan Sacoor, Julien Watrin and Helena Ponette.^[13][14][15] Their time of 3:15.60 was the fastest short track performance recorded for the event.^[16] In May, she ran at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay in Gaborone, Botswana.^[17]