Some fanciers dream of it their entire lives, while others just make it happen within a few short years. What Raymond and Germa Niks from Westerhaar pulled off past weekend borders on the supernatural. Anyone looking at the results of the grueling international classic from Agen will see one name printed in bold at the very top of the charts. Driven by pure passion, a rock-solid system, and a healthy dose of a winner’s mentality, this family has turned the pigeon racing world completely upside down!
The Miracle of Agen: Gold Against 23,191 Pigeons!
The international race from Agen on June 29, 2026, was one for the absolute history books. Due to scorching, extreme heat across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, the birds had to wait in their crates for days before finally being released. This was never going to be an easy flight; it became a true war of attrition where only the strongest marathon athletes could survive.
While most people were still comfortably turning over in bed, a sporting miracle unfolded in the early morning at exactly 04:37 AM at the lofts in Westerhaar. The absolute top hen of Raymond and Germa Niks stormed towards the landing board. After a monumental journey of no less than 1,039 kilometers, clocking a speed of over 1,223 meters per minute, she claimed 1st International Agen against 23,191 old birds and yearlings. What makes this achievement even more brilliant is that this superstar went into the basket as their first nominated pigeon. That is not just luck; that is pure expertise and knowing your racing team inside out!
Figures That Make the Competition Dizzy
Raymond basketed a total of 10 pigeons for this race. Take a look at the phenomenal statistics from this provisional national result:
Position | Ring Number | Distance (km) | Arrival Time | Speed (m/min) |
1 | 4-8117538 | 1039.576 | 04.37.34 | 1223.031 |
597 | 5-7025694 | 2 (next arrival) | 11.52.21 | 0825.480 |
668 | 5-1047800 | 3 (next arrival) | 12.04.01 | 0817.903 |
With a liberation at 08:50 AM under light clouds and a moderate Northwesterly wind, it was a fair but incredibly tough test of strength. Raymond and Germa proved exactly how you can dominate the absolute global elite with a select, compact basket of pigeons.
The Breeding Ground of a Super Strain
This flashy success certainly did not just fall from the sky. Since switching to the marathon races in 2020, the family has built a formation that strikes fear into the competition week after week. The absolute pivot of this success is the now-legendary Gijsduivin 709. This direct hen, coming through Robin Bakhuis, is the mother and grandmother of a whole battery of national top-prize winners.
The brand-new international winner, bred by Rick ter Morsche, is an absolute phenomenon in her own right. Last season, she already showed her incredible class as a yearling by winning 15th International Agen against 12,768 pigeons. On that flight, she dropped onto the landing board late in the evening at 21:52 PM, overcoming an immense overflight of more than 400 kilometers compared to the shorter distances! These kinds of racers possess the unique gift to survive and triumph when conditions get extreme.
And what about the incomparable Olympic White Star? This absolute legend was crowned 1st World Best Marathon Pigeon in the FCI rankings. It is precisely these magnificent bloodlines that make the modern-day Niks Pigeons so unique and sought-after all over the world.
The System Behind the Success
Raymond leaves absolutely nothing to chance. His management revolves around rock-solid discipline, razor-sharp observation, and intense training. The pigeons are flown on widowhood in the spring and are later paired up to race the major marathon flights on a clever nest position. Whether it involves ten days of sitting on eggs or secretly slipping a tiny, naked youngster underneath them right before basketing, Raymond knows exactly how to bring their motivation to a boiling point.
Three days before a major basketing, the athletes receive an extra training toss of around 60 kilometers to keep their appetite up and their focus sharp. Combine that with daily mandatory training sessions of an hour and a half, and you immediately understand why these birds fly through the toughest miles with ease.
An Unrivaled Honor Roll
This international victory from Agen is the ultimate crowning achievement on a list of dizzying championships that the combination has put together over recent seasons. Racing under the name Raymond & Germa Niks, their titles last season included:
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1st Inter-Provincial Champion VNCC International Morning Releases
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1st Inter-Provincial Champion VNCC National Afternoon Releases
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3rd International Champion Marathon at the prestigious Gouden Duif
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3rd National Champion Afternoon Releases NPO
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5th National Champion International Morning Releases NPO
Pigeon racing in Westerhaar is more alive than ever! With the indispensable help of daughter Eva and wife Germa, this is a beautiful family story that highlights how wonderful, intense, and connecting this fantastic hobby can be. The flag can be hoisted with pride in Overijssel, because with this mega victory, Niks Pigeons have definitively written history!
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
