Gent sports community honours fallen Leopard rider
Wouter Weylandt comes over from Quick Step) (Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Last weekend a new athletics stadium was inaugurated in Gent by the name of "Wouter Weylandt atletiekstadion". In accordance with Weylandt's family, city officials granted the proposal of the local athletics clubs and thereby honoured the rider. Wouter Weylandt suffered a fatal crash in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year.
"You don't have to search very long to find the symbolism in this, as Weylandt started his sports career in athletics," explained Christophe Peeters, member of the town's College of Aldermen, to Het Nieuwsblad. "The Mondo track is in accordance with all the international competition norms. The track may be used for Olympic teams."
Weylandt died tragically on May 9 this year after crashing in a descent of the Giro d'Italia stage three. The Gent native is still very much remembered in his Belgian home town, which has also erected a memorial for him as well as two other recently deceased riders, Dimitri De Fauw and Frederiek Nolf.
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