Julien Watrin
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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.
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
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | European Youth Olympic Festival | Tampere, Finland | 2nd | 100 m | 10.82 |
| 1st | 200 m | 21.06 | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 41.69 | |||
| 2010 | World Junior Championships | Moncton, Canada | 7th | 100 m | 10.56 |
| 9th (sf) | 200 m | 21.12 w | |||
| 13th (h) | 4 × 100 m relay | 40.43 | |||
| 2011 | European Junior Championships | Tallinn, Estonia | – | 200 m | DNF |
| 2013 | European U23 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.90 |
| Jeux de la Francophonie | Nice, France | 4th | 200 m | 21.56 | |
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.58 | |||
| 2014 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 1st (B) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.97 |
| European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 23rd (h) | 400 m | 46.31 | |
| 7th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.60 | |||
| 2015 | European Indoor Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.87 WL AR |
| World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:59.33 | |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 10th (sf) | 400 m | 45.76 |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:01.10 | |||
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:58.52 | |
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:07.80 |
| World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 2nd (B) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:07.14 | |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 4th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.55 |
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:06.27 |
| World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | 8th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03.70 | |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 3rd (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:00.87 | |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 6th (sf) | 400 m | 46.54 |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:06.52 | |||
| World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 14th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 49.52 | |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:58.72 | |||
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 6th | 400 m hurdles | 48.98 | |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:59.49 | |||
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 2nd | 400 m | 45.44 |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:05.83 | |||
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 17th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 48.94 | |
| 9th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:00.33 | |||
| 2025 | European Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 2nd | 4 × 400 m mixed | 3:16.19 |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:05.18 SB | |||
| World Relays | Guangzhou, China | 6th | 4 × 400 m mixed relay | 3:16.45 | |
| 2026 | World Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | 1st | 4 × 400 m mixed relay | 3:15.60 |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03.29 |
Personal bests
- 100 metres – 10.39 (+1.5 m/s, Mannheim 2010) NU20R
- 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 m hurdles – 48.66 (Brussels 2022) NR
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
