When twice European U23 champion Stefan Nillessen steps onto the track at this weekend’s Dutch Championships in Hengelo (2–3 August), it will be with the confidence of a man who thrives on challenge.
The 23-year-old Dutchman is not content with just one event - he will take on the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m, a triple that reflects the versatility and endurance that have defined his career so far.
Nillessen’s star has never shone brighter. At the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships, he won gold in the 1500m, defending the title won two years earlier in Espoo.
This time round, he added silver in the 3000m steeplechase, narrowly failing to chase down Poland’s Maciej Megier in a thrilling final. Nonetheless, it proved Nillessen – like training partner Niels Laros – has a good range of ability and doesn’t shy away from a challenge.
“It was a lot of planning,” Nillessen reflected. “The 1500m was the big goal — we won. Then we tried to see what we could do in the steeplechase, and I think we did well. It’s been an insane championship for our team. You just get motivated when you know you’re not in it alone — our training group is already at European top level, and we lift each other up.”
Training Among Europe’s Brightest Stars
Nillessen trains with a powerhouse group that blends Dutch grit with Danish firepower — including Netherlands’ teammate Laros, who took a remarkable double over the men’s 800m and 5000m in Bergen and Danish duo Joel Ibler Lillesø, who won the men’s 10,000m in Bergen, and Sofie Thøgersen, a three-time European U20 medallist.
Their camaraderie and shared ambition drive Nillessen to greater heights. “Having a group like this means you never feel alone,” he says. “We celebrate the good days, but we also get each other through the bad ones.”
A Relentless Competitor
This is not the first time Nillessen has tested his limits. At the Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, he competed in both the U23 race (finishing 12th) and the mixed relay, where the Netherlands finished just short of a medal in 4th place.
His versatility and appetite for new challenges have become his trademark — and might even shape his future.
“The 1500m will stay the main goal,” he admits, “but I wouldn’t rule out the steeplechase. We do a lot of mobility and hurdle work in training, and it’s not fully new to me. It’s just another way to make ourselves stronger for all events.”
A Rising Force in Dutch Athletics
Dutch athletics is on a meteoric rise, with stars like Femke Bol, Jessica Schilder and Lieke Klaver leading the charge.
At the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, the Netherlands won an astonishing seven gold medals, and the Madrid 2025 European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division in Madrid saw Dutch victories in eight of the events.
Nillessen is proud to be part of this movement: “You can feel it — athletics is growing in the Netherlands,” he says. “To be part of this elite group that’s helping it rise is amazing. Hopefully, it will become one of the biggest sports here.”
Olympic Pedigree and Beyond
Nillessen is no stranger to the global stage — he placed 9th in the 1500m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Laros 6th, it was a moment that cemented both athletes' status among Europe’s middle-distance elite. Looking ahead, the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo looms large as Nillessen's next target.
“Tokyo is the main goal,” he says. “We’ll decide with my coach if we go into a training block or do more races to qualify for the Diamond League final, but the 1500m in Tokyo will be the big one. We’ll go there and see if we can surprise.”
More Than a Runner
Off the track, Nillessen is studying sports science, carefully balancing academics with an intense competition schedule. He’s also a young man who understands the importance of life beyond athletics.
“I’ve got a girlfriend, I play some golf, video games, and just chill. Everything is sort of built around training, but we make sure we have fun as a group — swimming, dinners, games. You can’t be fully focused on athletics all the time; it’s not good for you.”
As Hengelo approaches, Nillessen stands ready to test himself again — three events in two days, each demanding speed, endurance, and nerve. It’s the kind of challenge he embraces with a smile. And if Bergen was any indication, this is a runner who doesn’t just rise to the occasion — he thrives on it.