# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/willy-polleunis
# Generated: 2026-08-14T17:50:43.032Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/willy-polleunis"
name: "Willy Polleunis"
slug: "willy-polleunis"
description: "Willy Polleunis is a Belgian former long-distance runner who won the silver medal in the 3000 metres at the 1973 European Indoor Championships, behind his clubmate Emiel Puttemans. He also ran a world record on the 10 miles in 1972. He competed in the 5000 and 10000 metres events at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics with the best achievement of sixth place in the 5000 metres in 1976. At the start of the final lap, he was in tenth place, but he accelerated, and possibly ran the final lap even faster than the winner, Lasse Viren. Polleunis also won team gold medals at the 1973 and 1977 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, and a team silver in 1976."
tagline: "Belgian long-distance runner"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Willy_Polleunis.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
category:
  name: "Athletes"
  slug: "athletes"
profileType:
  name: "Athlete"
  slug: "athlete"
  entityType: "https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2066131"
birthDate: "1947-12-27"
livingStatus: "LIVING"
scores:
  popularity:           41.4
  momentum:             7.130252100840335
  historical:           8.071742666666667
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     50.00000000000001
  profileCompleteness:  60
  trendDirection:       "RISING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
sources:
  - url: "https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%89_%D9%BE%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B3"
    title: "ويلى پوليونيس"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Polleunis"
    title: "Willy Polleunis"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200628"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Imported from discovery source: wikidata-dump