Niels Laros

Niels Laros (; born 17 April 2005) is a Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. He is the world under-20 record holder in the 1000 metres with a time of 2:14.39 set on 7 July 2024, the European under-20 record holder in the 1500 metres with a time of 3:29.54 set on 6 August 2024, and holds the Dutch record and European under-20 record in the mile, with times of 3:45.94 and 3:48.93 respectively.

He is the 2022 European Under-18 Champion in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres and the 2023 European Under-20 Champion in the 1500 metres and 5000 metres. He was European Athletics Rising Star of the Year in 2024.

Early and personal life Niels Laros was born on 17 April 2005. From Oosterhout, Laros' parents, Marcel Laros and Sandra Laros-Hofmans, were both runners. His brother Lars is a college athlete. He attended school at Oelbert Gymnasium in Oosterhout. He began to be coached by Tomasz Lewandowski in February 2022. He divided his final high school in two parts to allow him to participate in training camps with Lewandowski.

Career 2022 In 2022, Laros set new U18 European 1500m and 3000m records which had previously been held by Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

2023 In May 2023, he lowered the Dutch national junior record in the 5000 meters to 13.23.01. In June 2023 running in Nice, aged eighteen, he equalled the 22 year-old Dutch 1500m national record of 3:32.89 held by Gert-Jan Liefers. He was selected to represent the Netherlands in the men's 1500m at the 2023 European Athletics Team Championships. He finished third in the event, behind winner Mohamed Katir. Selected for the 1500m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, he qualified for the final, in which he ran a new national record time of 3:31.25. In September 2023, he set a new national record of 3:48.93 in the mile, at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon.

2024 In February 2024, he set a new Dutch record and European U20 record for the 5km, running 13:26 on the road in Monaco. In July 2024, he set a world under-20 record over 1000 metres of 2:14.37 in Hengelo. He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics over 1500 metres and ran a personal best and European U20 record to place sixth in the final.

He won the U20 race at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey in December 2024.

2025 He set a Dutch record of 7:29.49 for the 3000 metres indoor in Liévin on 13 February 2025. He won the 5000 metres competing for the Netherlands at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships First Division in Madrid on 29 June 2025. On 5 July, he won the Bowerman Mile over Yared Nuguse in a Dutch record time of 3:45.94.

He won the 5000 metres at the 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway in 13:44.74. In qualifying for the final of the 800 metres at the championships he also set a new personal best of 1:44.19.

On 22 August, at the Brussels Diamond League, Laros won the 1500 metres over Phanuel Koech and Yared Nuguse, in a time of 3:30.58. He set a new Dutch record of 3:29.20 to win the 1500m at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on 28 August.

He was selected for the Dutch team for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, to compete over 1500 metres and 5000 metres. He was a finalist over 1500 metres, placing fifth. He also competed in the 5000 metres but withdrew from the race with an injury.

2026 On 21 June 2026, in his first race since suffering injury at the 2025 World Championships, Laros ran a personal best 1:43.83 to win the 800 metres at the FBK Games in Hengelo. On 28 June, he ran a new personal best for the 800 metres with 1:43.60 at the 2026 Meeting de Paris. He was scheduled to defend his title at the Bowerman Mile in July, but scratched, and later announced that his season was over due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Personal bests Information from his World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

+ Personal best times Event Location Date Record 800 metres 1:43.60 Paris, France 28 June 2026 800 metres short track 1:47.16 Toruń, Poland 6 February 2024 1000 metres 2:14.39 Hengelo, Netherlands 7 July 2024 1500 metres 3:29.20 Zurich, Switzerland 28 August 2025 Mile 3:45.94 Eugene, United States 5 July 2025 2000 metres 4:49.68 Brussels, Belgium 8 September 2023 3000 metres 7:29.49 Liévin, France 13 February 2025 3000 metres short track 5000 metres 13:10.86 Nice, France 31 May 2025 5 kilometres road 13:26 Monaco City, Monaco 11 February 2024

International competitions Information from his World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

2022 European U18 Championships Jerusalem, Israel 1st 1500m 3:49.99 1st 3000m 8:11.49 2023 European Team Championships First Division Chorzów, Poland 3rd 1500m 3:37.59 European U20 Championships Jerusalem, Israel 1st 1500m 3:56.78 1st 5000m 14:11.82 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 10th 1500m 3:31.25 European Cross Country Championships Brussels, Belgium 2nd U20 race 16:10 2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 23rd (h) 800m 1:46.62 Olympic Games Paris, France 6th 1500m 3:29.54 European Cross Country Championships Antalya, Turkey 1st U20 race 14:07 2025 European Indoor Championships Apeldoorn, Netherlands 11th 3000m 7:57.18 European Team Championships First Division Madrid, Spain 1st 5000m 13:44.45 European U23 Championships Bergen, Norway 1st 800m 1:44.36 1st 5000m 13:44.74 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 5th 1500m 3:34.52 25th (h) 5000 m