“Olympic Glory and National Excellence: Cor Walda (Zwolle, Netherlands) Shines”

On a sunny spring day, I headed to Zwolle, home to one of the Netherlands’ absolute top athletes: Cor Walda. Zwolle is a charming Hanseatic city in Overijssel, brimming with history and charm. The city is known for its beautiful historic center and the iconic Sassenpoort. You can enjoy lovely walks along the canals and take in the charming cafes and shops. It’s a perfect blend of culture, atmosphere, and good living. A fitting setting for a top-level enthusiast. 

It was already known that Cor Walda had one of the strongest lofts in the Netherlands as early as 2024. But what he achieved in 2025 took his performance to an even higher level. Week after week, he managed to post impressive results and strong series. Under his roof are currently several absolute top-class birds that effortlessly compete with the national and international elite.

2025 Championships

The 2025 list of achievements speaks for itself. Among other things, Cor won:

• “Olympic Super Girl” (23-9617741): 1st Dutch Olympic Pigeon Middle Distance category 2026 in Dortmund + 1st World Olympic Pigeon Middle Distance 2026 in Dortmund
• “Olympic Hakon” (23-9617687): 2nd Dutch Olympic Pigeon, Middle Distance category, 2026 in Dortmund
• 2nd NPO National Loft Championship 2025 Senior “Best Fancier” Unassigned
• 4th NPO Senior “Sprint” Unassigned 
• 5th NPO Senior “Young Birds” Unassigned
• 6th NPO National Loft Championship 2025 Senior “Best Fancier” Designated
• 7th NPO Senior “Middle Distance” Undesignated
• 1st NAT. comp. “The Very Best” One-Day Long Distance ’24-‘25 “OLYMPIC Super Girl” 23- 9617741
• 2nd NAT. comp. “The Very Best” cat. Middle Distance ’24-’25 “Hakon” 23– 9617687
• 5th National Ace Pigeon cat. “Young Pigeons” 25-1575666
• 5th NAT. comp. “The Very Best” cat. “Old birds” ’24–’25” “OLYMPIC Super Girl” 23-9617741
• 15th NAT. comp. “The Very Best” cat. “Young birds” ’25 “Lucifer”  25– 1575666
• 16th FCI WORLD BEST PIGEON “YEARLING” 2024– 8102216
• 16th PIPA Ranking Netherlands 2025 cat. Best Middle Distance/Long Distance Pigeon 23– 9617742
• 17th NAT. comp. “THE Very Best” cat. All-round ’24 – ’25 “Kyan” 23– 9617739
• 26th FCI WORLD BEST PIGEON “Long DISTANCE”  2024– 8102257

Names like “Olympic Super Girl,” “Hakon,” “Kyan,” “Ivar,” and “Lucifer” are all key to these exceptional achievements.

The racing squad

Cor has a racing squad of about twenty cocks and twenty hens, which he races under total widowhood. When there is a real top performer among them, the partner stays home after a few races to keep the focus entirely on performance. Toward the end of the season, he sometimes switches to nest racing.

Each year, he breeds about fifty youngsters, which are raced together without using nest racing. His practical approach is noteworthy: the youngsters are provided with supplementary lighting from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., while they remain in complete darkness the rest of the day. Thanks to an automated system, he doesn’t have to worry about that.

Cor explains: “I have five grandchildren whom I love to take on outings. It wasn’t always easy to get home in time for the darkening. That was stressful. That’s why I completely redesigned my loft with a timer. This way, it remains manageable and effective for me.” With his old birds, he races distances ranging from 100 to 725 kilometers. The young birds have their own loft and are raced from there. Despite his modest demeanor, it’s clear: this is an absolute top-tier fancier speaking.

Photo below: The widowers for the 2026 season!

The breeding strategy

In addition to his racing squad, Cor has eleven pairs of carefully selected breeders. His strategy is based on crossing his best former racers with purchased pigeons from proven top lines, often descended from first-prize winners in major competitions or TT pigeons.

He applies strict selection criteria within his breeding program. Only pigeons with multiple top performers in their pedigree are considered. Through targeted crossbreeding, combined with well-considered inbreeding, he manages to maintain a consistently high level of quality in his flock.

Medical Care: Strict and Simple

Cor also follows a clear schedule when it comes to medical care. “The adult pigeons are vaccinated against paratyphoid in November and against paramyxovirus in December. During the breeding season, I administer a seven-day course of yellow medicine. Another paratyphoid vaccination follows at the end of March. In addition, I administer the yellow drops into their noses every Tuesday; that should be sufficient.”

A similar approach applies to the young pigeons: two vaccinations against paramyxovirus-rotavirus, a smallpox vaccination, a yellow treatment, and also a paratyphoid vaccination. “They get the yellow drops mixed into their feed,” he adds.

Feeding and Care

When it comes to feeding, Cor relies on quality. He sources his mixes from Groothandel De Groot in ’s-Heerenbroek and primarily chooses Havens B-18 and Versele Laga Start Plus. He has been using supplements from Beute for years: a staple in his care regimen.

The visit to Cor Walda leaves little doubt: behind the calm and down-to-earth fancier lies a professional of the highest caliber.

Cor, congratulations on these outstanding results from the entire Herbots team.

Christophe Mathues