Dutch distance runner Niels Laros has been a prolific medallist on the international stage as an U18 and U20 athlete.
But having collected the men’s Rising Star award at the Golden Tracks awards ceremony in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia on Saturday (26), he is now ready to pose a serious challenge on the senior stage.
But first, Laros will be looking to cap his prolific career as a junior by winning U20 gold at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Türkiye on 8 December after just missing out on the gold medal in a sprint finish in Brussels last year.
A rare talent
In placing sixth in the dramatic 1500m final at the Paris Olympics in a European U20 record of 3:29.54 won by USA’s Cole Hocker, Laros underlined the rare talent he has at his disposal.
He broke through by winning gold over 1500m and 3000m at the 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem, returning to the Givat Ram Stadium a year on to claim a 1500m/5000m double at the 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships marked him out as one to watch.
But it was no guarantee he could contend on the senior stage.
So, his performance in Paris – not just in his time and positioning – but shining in one of the most-high profile events in the entire Olympics among luminaries including world champion Josh Kerr, reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot showed that the Dutchman is a viable contender in the coming years.
“In that race. I knew I was capable of running that time,” he says. “And on the line, I was just (thinking) ‘This was your dream, all this time. So, enjoy it and make the best of it.”
Ingebrigtsen comparison
It came in what was a mixed build-up for Laros, who fell at both the Monaco and London Diamond League meetings, rallying in the latter to place fourth.
In Monaco he failed to finish, and it led to a welcome interaction with Ingebrigtsen, whom Laros is frequently compared. “I remember one moment after Monaco when I fell down, I met him in the hotel last time,” he says.
“He spoke some nice words to me, so that was nice of him. But as an athlete, I really respect him for still sticking to the 1500m, even though – like he says himself – it’s not his best distance. So, I respect him for trying to be the best in something he’s not the best at. Well, he broke a world record in a 3000m this year.”
Laros has taken ownership of European U18 and U20 records over 1500m and 3000m that were previously in the possession of the Norwegian. Plus, like Ingebrigtsen, he has an impressive range of distances and is willing to compete on all surfaces, be in track, road or cross country.
“I think the similarities is we both want to win as much as possible,” he says. “But, yeah, like I said, he’s more of a 1500m/5000m runner and I think I’m more of a the 800m/1500m runner. So, I think our styles are a bit different.”
Medal bid continues in Antalya 2024
Another high point for Laros in 2024 was setting a new world U20 record and European U23 record over 1000m of 2:14.37 in Hengelo in July. And with his obvious speed, he is now looking ahead to some upcoming medal bids.
In December, he is set to return to the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Türkiye, where he is keen to make amends for the 2023 men’s U20 race in Brussels where he was pipped to gold in the closing sprint by Denmark’s Axel Vang Christensen.
“I’m determined to turn second into first,” he said. “So, we’re just on the altitude now and we’re doing some base training, trying to get some fitness back, after the off season. And then we go to Türkiye. We try to win, hopefully two medals.”
Also, just around the corner is the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in his native Netherlands. Typically, the indoor season would not be a priority but he admits it is an opportunity he will find hard to resist. “Should be possible. We’re not sure yet. But, I think I can’t let (a) Europeans in my own country slip,” he said.
There is also the matter of the European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway as well as the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next summer where Laros could be fighting for medals on both fronts.
“I just hope to be, part of the top guys for the coming years and fight for the medals and every, every championship, and just be there,” he says. And if his hopes come to fruition, the comparisons to Jakob Ingebrigtsen are only going to become more frequent.
