Marathon pigeon racing is a beautiful sport, but what unfolded last weekend in the Frisian village of Bant borders on the supernatural. Anyone who thought last year’s spectacular national victories were the absolute peak for Jan Grootoonk was brutally proven wrong. During the recent flight from Perigueux, the absolute grandmaster of marathon racing pulled off something you rarely ever witness. While the night fell over the Netherlands and most fanciers went to bed exhausted, the unstoppable Grootoonk duiven wrote pure history in the pitch dark.
The Night-Time Triumph: Two Birds in the Pitch Dark!
Perigueux 2026 will go down in history as a race that made the hearts of pigeon fanciers worldwide beat a lot faster. Released at 14:00 under a partly cloudy sky with a moderate southwestern wind, experts knew the birds would have the wind strongly in their tails. A long distance of no less than 921 kilometers to Bant, but with these highly favorable conditions, it promised to be a true speed spectacle. Jan Grootoonk has built a strain that literally flies like wildfire when the conditions are perfect.
What happened next in the deep night is truly unique and seldom seen in our sport. While the entire Frisian department was fast asleep, two birds arrived during the neutralization period. In the dead of night, Jan clocked his first iron warrior at exactly 04:15 AM. With a staggering speed of 1907 meters per minute, this absolute class act stormed towards the top prize. As if that was not enough, the miracle repeated itself barely 25 minutes later. At 04:40 AM, the second bird landed on the board with a speed of 1853 meters per minute. Two birds in an absolute night clash, miles ahead of the competition. That is not luck, that is pure dominance and top-class genetics.
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The Feared Grootoonk Train in Numbers
Winning the first and second prize in the entire competition is a massive achievement on its own. However, the true power of the Grootoonk duiven becomes even more obvious when looking at the overall result. It is a well-known phenomenon in the pigeon world that once Jan’s first bird drops, the rest follow at a terrifying pace. The Grootoonk train thundered mercilessly through the rankings.
Take a look at the astronomical sequence of early arrivals:
First prize in the competition at 04:15 AM
Second prize in the competition at 04:40 AM
A formidable 31st and 42nd prize in the early morning
Out of 59 basketed birds, no less than 37 were on the result sheet in no time
What makes this performance even more jaw-dropping is the incredible prize percentage. Jan basketed 59 birds and managed to clock 37 of them deep in the prizes, resulting in an amazing success rate of 62.7 percent. This proves that his strict selection, his razor-sharp racing system, and the daily top-tier care together with his son Yoel result in a team that is simply unbeatable in terms of depth.
A Tradition of Gold on PigeonBoss.com
It is definitely not the first time this sympathetic champion takes the front page of PigeonBoss.com. Jan Grootoonk has been a household name for decades, steadily building his legend. We all remember his phenomenal dream season last year when he left the national racing world stunned on Pau with his super hen Fleur.
Shortly after, Jan gave a true masterclass in marathon racing on Ruffec by claiming the 1st NPO against 2183 birds. The winner of Ruffec back then, paired with the golden bloodlines of the legendary foundation breeder Nygel, the Jellema endurance lines, and the explosive power of the Koopman pigeons, form the solid foundation of this ongoing success. Jan constantly enriches his ironclad family with targeted, high-quality reinforcements, and this Perigueux result proves his breeding vision is worth its weight in gold.
The Magic of Pigeon Racing
Performances like this show exactly why pigeon racing is the greatest hobby in the world. The moment when the sun has yet to rise, the world is completely silent, and suddenly two winged athletes dive down from the pitch-black sky after a lightning-fast journey of hundreds of kilometers. It gives any true fancier goosebumps. Jan Grootoonk proves that passion, camaraderie, and tireless dedication lead to absolute sporting history. The Grootoonk duiven have just raised the bar for marathon racing once again. The competition is warned because the train from Bant cannot be stopped!
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
