Ryan Clarke (runner)
Dutch athlete (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ryan Clarke (born 17 November 1997) is a Dutch middle-distance runner. He is a multiple time Dutch national champion over 800 metres. He has competed at multiple major championships, including the 2024 Olympic Games, and set a new Dutch indoor national record over 800 metres in January 2026.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Born | 17 November 1997 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Middle distance |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800m: 1:44.70 (Paris, 2024) Indoor 800m: 1:44.72 (Boston, 2026) NR |
Biography
Clarke won the Dutch national 800 metres title at the Dutch Athletics Championships in Breda in July 2023, running a time of 1:45.74 to finish ahead of Niels Laros.[2]
He won the Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships over 800 metres in February 2024.[3] He subsequently ran at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in March 2024, but did not progress to the final.[4][5]
On 31 May 2024 he ran a personal best for the 800 metres of 1.44.83 in Oslo, Norway.[6] He reached the semi finals of the 800 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy.[7] Later that month, he retained his Dutch 800 metres national title in Hengelo, running 1:45.31, to finish ahead of Samuel Chapple.[8] He competed in the 800 metres at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, in August 2024, where he ran a personal best of 1:44.70.[9]
He was selected for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn where he ran 1:45.65 to be the fastest equaliser for the 800 metres final.[10][11] He briefly led in the final, but ultimately placed sixth overall.[12] He was selected for the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.[13] Competing in the 800 metres at the Championships he finished last in his heat and did not progress to the semi-final.[14]
He competed at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025 in the men's 800 metres.[15][16]
On 24 January 2026, Clarke ran new indoor national record of 1:44.72 for the 800 metres in Boston at the Indoor Grand Prix, finishing third as Josh Hoey broke the indoor world record.[17] Clarke ran 1:49.68 to win the 800 metres at the 2026 Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships in Apeldoorn.[18] He was selected for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland in March 2026, but was affected by illness and did not advance from the heats of the 800 metres.[19][20]
Personal life
He is from Castricum in North Holland. His girlfriend is Kim Wensveen. [21]
