The Gouden Spike (English: Golden Spike) is the most important athletics prize in Belgium, first awarded in 1954. Until 1987, the prize was alternated between track and field disciplines to tha athlete with the best performance of the last two years among the athletes who never won the prize; because it was only possible to win the prize once. Since 1974, for the first time also an award for female athletes was added. This Belgian athletics prize is not to be confused with the award given at the Gouden Spike competition held annually in Leiden, Netherlands.