Stefan Nillessen (born 2 January 2003) is a Dutch middle-distance runner. In 2024, he won the

Dutch Athletics Championships The Dutch Athletics Championships () is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in the Netherlands. It is typically held as a two- or ...

over

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

, and also won over that distance at the

Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships The Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships () is an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in the Netherlands.2024 Olympic Games The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Career

He was selected for the

at the

2022 World Athletics U20 Championships The 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships, also known colloquially by its former official title, the World Junior Championships, was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born no earlier than 1 January 2003 ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

, Colombia. He won gold in the 1500 metres at the

2023 European Athletics U23 Championships The 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships were the 14th edition of the biennial athletics competition between European athletes under the age of twenty three. The event was organized by European Athletics Association and held from 13–16 Ju ...

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

, Finland. He is one of a group of athletes coached by Tomasz Lewandowski. He signed a sponsorship deal with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

in 2024. He ran a personal best of 3:34.32 for the 1500 metres in

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

, Finland on 18 June 2024. He won the Dutch national title over 1500m at the

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants dialect, Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the Twente region, in the province of Overijssel. It is part of a larger urban area that also includes Enschede, Borne, Overijssel, Borne, Almelo and Ol ...

, in June 2024. He competed at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

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. Competing in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, Germany in February 2025, he won over

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m sho ...

in a Dutch indoor record time of 7:37.10. He ran a personal best 3:52.70 for the indoor mile in

Liévin Liévin (; ; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The inhabitants are called ''Liévinois'' in French. Overview The town of Liévin is an old mining area of Pas-de-Calais. Near Lens, this town is of modest size but ...

, Belgium on 13 February 2025. The following weekend, he won the Dutch national indoor title at the

Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships The Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships () is an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in the Netherlands.2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships The 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships were held from 6 to 9 March 2025 at the Omnisport Apeldoorn arena in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The four-day competition features thirteen men's, thirteen women's and one mixed athletics events over t ...

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...

, Netherlands, where he reached the final of the 3000 metres. He ran a personal best of 1:45.09 for the 800 metres in Hengelo on 9 June 2025. He improved his personal best on the mile to 3:49.02 in the

Dream Mile The Dream Mile may refer to the annual Diamond League race in Oslo at Bislett Stadium, or several historic individual races featuring top middle-distance runners. Dream Mile (Bislett) The Dream Mile is an annual mile race run at Bislett Stadium, ...

at the

2025 Bislett Games The 2025 Bislett Games was the 60th edition of the annual outdoor track and field meeting in Oslo, Norway. Held on 11 and 12 June at Bislett Stadium, it was the sixth leg of the 2025 Diamond League – the highest level international track and fi ...

, part of the

2025 Diamond League The 2025 Diamond League is the sixteenth season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by World Athletics. The competition is a revision to the top level athletics series since Diamond League foundation in 2010. Th ...

on 12 June 2025. He competed over 1500 metres at the

2025 Meeting de Paris The 2025 Meeting de Paris was the 30th edition of the annual outdoor track and field meeting in Paris, France. Held on 20 June at the Stade Sébastien Charléty, it was the eighth leg of the 2025 Diamond League – the highest level international ...

, running a Dutch national record time of 3:29.23. He finished second in the 1500 metres at the

2025 European Athletics Team Championships First Division Below are the full startlists and, when confirmed, results of the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships First Division on 26–29 June 2025 in Madrid, Spain. Overall standings Host nation (Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a ...

in Madrid on 29 June 2025.

Personal life

He is from

Groesbeek Groesbeek () is a town and former municipality in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. In January 2015 the former municipality merged with Millingen aan de Rijn and Ubbergen. The larger area was known as Groesbeek until January 2016, whe ...

near

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

. Nillessen comes from a famous running family from Groesbeek, known as "d’n Boes."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nillessen, Stefan 2003 births 21st-century Dutch sportsmen Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Dutch Athletics Championships winners Dutch male middle-distance runners Living people Olympic athletes for the Netherlands People from Groesbeek