Alphonse Vandenrydt

Alphonse Vandenrydt started with athletics as part of his military service, which he served with the paratrooper regiment that also included 1948 marathon bronze medallist Étienne Gailly as a lieutenant. Gailly recognized the talent of Vandenrydt and recommended him to join Union Saint-Gilloise. In 1951, he came second in the Belgian 5,000 m championships, and third a year later, both times behind Gaston Reiff. A good performance at the Belgium-France cross-country match made him a late additon to the Belgian team for the 1952 Olympics. There Vandenrydt did not perform well: he came last in his 5,000 m heat and 29th in the 10,000 m.

Personal Bests: 5000 – 14:42.8 (1951); 10000 – unknown.