Stefan Nillessen

Stefan Nillessen
Stefan Nillessen at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey
Personal information
NationalityDutch
Born (2003-01-02) 2 January 2003
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
Middle distance
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing  Netherlands
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 Birmingham1500 metres
European U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place2025 Bergen1500 metres
Gold medal – first place2023 Espoo1500 metres
Silver medal – second place2025 Bergen3000 m st.

Stefan Nillessen (born 2 January 2003) is a Dutch middle-distance runner. He is the reigning European champion in the 1500 metres having won the title at the 2026 European Athletics Championships. He was the 2024 Dutch champion and the 2025 Dutch indoor champion in the 1500 metres. He also represented the Netherlands at the 2024 Olympic Games.[2]

Biography

Nillessen was selected for the 1500 metres at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.[3] He won gold in the 1500 metres at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland.[4]

Nillessen is one of a group of athletes coached by Tomasz Lewandowski. He signed a sponsorship deal with Nike in 2024.[5] He ran a personal best of 3:34.32 for the 1500 metres in Turku, Finland, on 18 June 2024.[6]

Nillessen won the Dutch national title over 1500m at the Dutch Athletics Championships in Hengelo, in June 2024.[7] He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics over 1500 metres and ran a personal best to qualify for the final. In the final he lowered his personal best to 3:30.75 to place ninth overall.[8]

Competing in Karlsruhe, Germany, in February 2025, he won over 3000 metres in a Dutch indoor record time of 7:37.10.[9] He ran a personal best 3:52.70 for the indoor mile in Liévin, Belgium, on 13 February 2025.[10] The following weekend, he won the Dutch national indoor title at the Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships over 1500 metres.[11] He was selected for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, where he reached the final of the 3000 metres.[12][13]

Nillessen ran a personal best of 1:45.09 for the 800 metres in Hengelo on 9 June 2025.[14] He improved his personal best on the mile to 3:49.02 in the Dream Mile at the 2025 Bislett Games, part of the 2025 Diamond League on 12 June 2025.[15] He competed over 1500 metres at the 2025 Meeting de Paris, running a Dutch national record time of 3:29.23.[16] He finished second in the 1500 metres at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships First Division in Madrid on 29 June 2025.[17] He retained his 1500m title at the 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway, running a time of 3:44.87.[18] He later also won a silver medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the same championships, finishing behind Maciej Megier of Poland, in a national U23 record of 8:20.48.[19] In September 2025, he was a semi-finalist over 1500 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[20][21]

On 19 February 2026, he lowered the Dutch indoor national record for the 1500 metres to 3:33.65 competing in Liévin, France.[22] On 15 August, he was a surprise gold medalist in the 1500 metres at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham, England, displaying a turn of speed on the home straight. Speaking after the race he said "I even surprised myself a little with that sprint finish to be honest. I knew I felt good, but you don't know how the others feel… When I got out of bed this morning, I really didn't think I was going to win the gold. Of course, I was hoping to be able to fight with the best and go for a medal…but gold was not something I was expecting".[23][24]

Personal life

He is from Groesbeek near Nijmegen. Nillessen comes from a famous running family from Groesbeek, known as "d'n Boes."[25][26]

References

  1. ↑ de Voogt, Sam (16 August 2026). "De grootste verrassing van de EK atletiek is Stefan Nillessen, de nieuwe kampioen op de 1.500 meter". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 August 2026. Zaterdagavond laat iedereen zich echter verrassen door de 1,95 meter lange Nederlander. [Saturday evening everyone is surprised by the 1.95 metre tall athlete.]
  2. ↑ "Stefan Nillessen". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "Stefan and Teun are going to the WJK in Colombia!". cifla.nl. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Gürth eclipses championship record to strike 3000m steeplechase gold for Germany". European-Athletics. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Piest, Tijn (13 January 2024). "With a contract in hand, Stefan Nillessen is now fully focused on running". Hardloopnetwerk.nl. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Nadine Visser evenaart NL record en Stefan Nillessen loopt B limiet 1500 mtr". hardloopniews. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Groesbekenaar Nillessen: Nederlands kampioen én bijna zeker van Olympische Spelen". ad.nl. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Men's 1500m Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Mitton and Mihambo make strong statements in Karlsruhe". World Athletics. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Ingebrigtsen smashes world indoor 1500m and mile records in Lievin". World Athletics. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  11. ↑ Roeske, Eric (23 February 2025). "Dutch world-class athletes shine at National Indoor Championships". hardloopnetwerk.nl. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  12. ↑ "46 TeamNL atleten in actie tijdens EK Indoor Atletiek in Apeldoorn". Atletiek.nl. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  13. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (9 March 2025). "Majestic Ingebrigsten completes distance double for third time at Apeldoorn 2025". European Athletics. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  14. ↑ Roeske, Eric (10 June 2025). "FBK Games leveren altijd: volop Nederlandse successen (recap)". Hardloop Netwerk. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  15. ↑ Crumley, Euan (12 June 2025). "RECORD-BREAKING WARHOLM BACK TO HIS BEST". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  16. ↑ Gault, Jonathan (20 June 2025). "Azeddine Habz & Phanuel Koech (Who?) Run 3:27: Paris Diamond League Thoughts". Lets Run. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  17. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (29 June 2025). "Guillemot and Nadar take 1500m victories for France and Portugal". European Athletics. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  18. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (19 July 2025). "Training partners Laros and Nillessen land Dutch distance double in Bergen". European Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  19. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (20 July 2025). "Poland's Maciej Megier denies Nillessen distance double in thrilling 3000m steeplechase final". European Athletics. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  20. ↑ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "53 TeamNL atleten naar WK atletiek in Tokio". Atletiek.nl. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  22. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (19 February 2026). "Afonso breaks 28-year-old European indoor 2000m best with 5:30.31 in Lievin". European Athletics. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  23. ↑ Object, object (15 August 2026). "Nillessen claims shock European 1,500m gold". RTL Today. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (15 August 2026). "Nillessen wins in a final of surprises". European Athletics. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Atletiekevenement Next Generation Athletics: Jagen op limieten en records 'in je eigen stad'". gelderlander.nl. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  26. ↑ "Running friends Nillessen and Janssen miss out on medals at National Championships, but remain determined". Gelderlander. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
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