The Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships from 6-9 March celebrates just 50 days to go on Wednesday (15).
This winter’s major European event is almost certain to feature more moments of Dutch brilliance, as has become customary with the passing of every indoor season.
And in front of capacity Dutch crowds, there is every likelihood of more golden shimmers among the mass of orange passion, to build on a proud history of the Netherland athletics team. Here’s ten historic Dutch moments from the European Athletics Indoors Championships:
Trailblazer Nelli
Nelli Cooman is one of the iconic figures in the history of the European Athletics Indoor Championships, winning five consecutive women’s 60m golds between 1985 and 1989 and rounding off her career by regaining the title in Paris 1994.
Her standout performance was in Madrid 1986 where she won in 7.00, a world record at the time and still the championship record.
A year later, she became the first woman to run 60m in under seven seconds, clocking 6.99 on her way to victory at the World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, USA.
Hurdles heroes in Birmingham
The Netherland celebrated a 1-2 in the men’s 60m hurdles at Birmingham 2007, with Gregory Sedoc seizing the opportunity to win gold in his first ever international final in 7.63. Teammate Marcel van der Westen was 0.01 behind to win silver.
Van Hulst's 3000m hat-trick
Elly van Hulst was the standard bearer for female distance running in the Netherland in the 1980s and 1990s. She was particularly successful indoors, winning five European medals, including three 3000m titles in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
On the global stage, van Hulst also won the 3000m title at the 1989 World Indoor Championships in Budapest in a world record of 8:33.82, a mark which stood on the record books for 12 years.
Mellard leaps to best ever win
Cooman and van Hulst were not the only Dutch athletes to thrill the home crowds at The Hague 1989. In the men’s long jump, Emiel Mellard produced a career-best win, taking gold with 8.14m. Dutch colleague Frans Maas added a cheery to the cake, claiming bronze with 8.11m.
Middle distance double in 1987
There was a rare Dutch middle distance double at the Lieven 1987 European Indoor Championships with Rob Druppers (pictured) and Han Kulker taking the men’s 800m and 1500m titles in 1:48.12 and 3:44.79 respectively.
Druppers, silver medallist at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, also won silver at the following two editions in Budapest and The Hague.
Hassan raises pace in Prague
Sifan Hassan has had one of the most celebrated careers of any female distance runner, winning global titles at every distance from 1500m to marathon.
Having landed her first international title over 1500m at the Zurich 2014 European Athletics Championships, she added the indoor crown at Prague 2015, front running to gold in 4:09.04.
Brilliant Bol sets template for success
More recently, Femke Bol has been at the forefront of Dutch brilliance on the boards. She won her first major senior title in Torun, taking the 400m in a national indoor record of 50.63.
She returned a day later to run a brilliant last leg anchoring the Netherlands to the women’s 4x400m gold in a championship record of 3:27.15 and setting the template for future indoor championships at European and world level.
Bol defended both of her titles in Istanbul 2023 before replicating this feat at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow where she lowered her world indoor record to 49.17 in the 400m final. The Dutch men's 4x400m also took gold in Torun 2021 and returned with bronze in Istanbul 2023.
Visser wins in Glasgow
Since her transition from combined events to hurdles, Nadine Visser has been a consistent contender on the international stage, and it was her success at the Glasgow 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships that cemented her place over the barriers.
The Dutch athlete blazed to gold in 7.87. Two years later, she brilliantly defended her title in a national record 7.77 in Torun 2021.
Schippers blitzes to 60m gold
Despite winning a 100m/200m double at the Zurich 2014 European Athletics Championships, Dafne Schippers was still keeping her options open for the heptathlon.
But soon after winning 60m gold in a world-leading 7.05 at the Prague 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships to complete the set of individual European sprint titles, Schippers announced she would focus on sprinting.
Just a few months later, Schippers won her first of two 200m titles at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing in a still-standing European record of 21.63.
High point for Amels
Aged 31, Douwe Amels produced the performance of his life, clearing 2.31m at the Istanbul 2023 European Indoor Championships, equalling the national record of Wilbert Pennings and becoming the first Dutch athlete to win the men’s high jump at the championships.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics