On July 5, 2025, Niels Laros, an impressive Dutch athlete, surprised many of the 12,606 fans in the stands at Hayward Field and the millions on TV with his spectacular finish and win in the fabled Bowerman Mile! Niels Laros set the Dutch record for the mile (3:45.94) with his win. For those in North America who did not remember him at Budapest 2023 or in the Paris Olympics, Niels has some serious wheels! Check out these PBs: 1:44.78 (NU20R), for 800m (2023), 2:14.37 WU20R (2024) for the 1,000m, 3:29.54 (EU20, NU20, Paris Olympics 2024) for 1,500m, 3:45.94 for the Mile (Pre, 2025), a scary fast 2,000m in 4:49.68 (EU20B), and a 13:10.86 for 5,000m indoors (2025). Niels also has run 1:47.16 NU20 in 2024 for 800m (Torun), and the NR at 3,000m, achieved in Lieven in 2025 of 7:29.49! He is coached by Tomasz Lewandowski and runs for NIKE.
We are quite thrilled to have Niels Laros answer our Nine Questions! Thanks, Niels!
RunBlogRun, # 1. What do you remember about the Bowerman mile?
Niels Laros: I remember coming on the track. Seeing a lot of people. Standing on the line, hearing them cheer for us. That made me really excited for the race. Then, what else I remember going into the last lap? Taking the front of the following pack and just slowly accelerating. Going into the last 100m. Passing number 2. Thinking I could still win. Good memories.
RunBlogRun, #2. You have a superb finish. Do you train for such close racing?
Niels Laros: Yes we do definitely train for such close races. Having a kick is one of the most attributes to win a race, so we definitely train on this.
RunBlogRun, #3. Did you begin with a club in the Netherlands when you started athletics?
Niels Laros: Yes I started at my local club. I just started doing all disciplines. As I got older I specialised in only running.
RunBlogRun, #4. What do you recall from your first race as a junior or youth?
Niels Laros: The races I recall from my youth? It’s a bit hard. But I still remember breaking 2 minutes in the 600m for the first time. I ran 1:59. That was a nice barrier to break. I also remember the race where I raced my teammate Stefan, who also ran the Bowerman mile. I think I was 13 or 14 years old. I was running the under 18 nationals against Stefan and my brother. And I got 4th. That was really…
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