"Olympic Maria": the absolute standout from Klaas Talen (Meppel - NL)

From national victories to Olympiad success: over the years, Klaas Talen has proven that quality, experience, and a passion for pigeon racing go hand in hand. With "Olympic Maria" as the absolute standout and impressive results in 2025 and 2026, there is every reason to turn one's attention to the current auction at Herbots.

A lifelong passion for pigeon racing

Pigeon racing has been in Klaas Talen’s blood for years. He began his career alongside his father, Jan, with whom he formed a partnership until 1994. He subsequently raced for several years with fellow local fancier Ies Vegter, before continuing under his own name from 2003 onwards. His passion for the sport remained undiminished throughout these years.

In September 2010, Klaas experienced one of the highlights of his career. During the national race from Morlincourt, a blue hen from his loft secured the national victory. With a speed of over 1,170 meters per minute, she was the fastest of the 6,811 pigeons released.

That national win did not come out of the blue. Klaas had already built a strong track record, including first and second NPO prizes from Etampes in 1997 and numerous other high rankings at provincial and national levels. He also made his mark in the championships of Section 10 for many years.

A distinct preference for one-day long-distance racing

Klaas Talen’s specialty lies in one-day long-distance racing. It is precisely in these races—where stamina, orientation, and peak form are decisive—that he is truly in his element. Over the years, he built up his loft using pigeons from various renowned fanciers, including Henri van den Berg, Kees Bosua, the Leideman Brothers, Appie Dunnik, Roelof Coster, and Heremans-Stickers. Using these bloodlines as a foundation, he developed a colony capable of proving itself across various race distances.

Klaas always combined his drive with a down-to-earth perspective on the sport. While the pigeons were a great passion, the sport was not the sole focus of his life; even during the racing season, there was room for holidays, with others taking over the care of the pigeons in his absence.

In 2020, Klaas decided to sell his entire racing team to fanciers in the Far East. Subsequently, health issues forced him to scale back his involvement in the sport between 2021 and 2023. However, he picked up where he left off in 2024, and the results that followed proved that his ambition and quality remained undiminished.

2025: straight back to the top

This renewed effort yielded exceptionally strong results in 2025. Klaas Talen once again established himself among the absolute elite of Section 10 and the Fondclub Noord Nederland (Long-Distance Club North Netherlands). Some notable achievements from 2025:

• 1st General Champion (Day-Long Distance) – Fondclub Noord Nederland
• 1st General Champion (Young Birds) – Fondclub Noord Nederland
• 1st Middle Distance (Unnominated) – Section 10
• 1st General Champion (Nominated) – Section 10
• 2nd Day-Long Distance (Nominated) – Section 10
• 2nd and 3rd Ace Pigeon Middle Distance
• 3rd Ace Pigeon Day-Long Distance

Strong performances were also recorded at the national level, including:

• 2nd place among the best fanciers (General Nominated)
• 19th place (Day-Long Distance Nominated)
• 20th place (Day-Long Distance Ace Pigeons)

It was a clear signal: Klaas Talen was back and once again competing for top honors at the highest level.

Olympic Maria: class spanning multiple years

The absolute star of the loft is undoubtedly the hen NL23-9586661, better known as "Olympic Maria."

This hen distinguished herself through her performances over several seasons, thereby qualifying for the 2026 Olympiad in Dortmund. She demonstrated her qualities particularly well at distances of approximately 500 to 700 kilometers—precisely the type of racing Klaas Talen loves to prepare his pigeons for: the day-long distance, where class and stamina come together.

At the 2026 Dortmund Olympiad, Olympic Maria achieved the following honors:

• 3rd Olympiad Pigeon Day-Long Distance
• 4th Olympiad Pigeon Grown-Up
• 9th Olympiad Pigeon Middle Distance

Father: "Olympic Maria"

2026: Confirmation on all fronts

Klaas Talen’s loft continued to perform outstandingly in 2026. The results in Section 10 and Fondclub Noord Nederland confirmed that the rebuilding of the colony has been a resounding success.

The key championship titles speak for themselves:

• 1st Emperor General (Day Long-Distance) – Fondclub Noord Nederland
• 1st Day Long-Distance (Nominated) – Section 10
• 1st General (Unnominated) – Section 10
• 1st General (Nominated) – Section 10
• 2nd Sprint (Nominated) – Section 10
• 2nd Day Long-Distance (Unnominated) – Section 10
• 2nd Ace Pigeon Middle-Distance, 2nd Ace Pigeon Young Birds
• 2nd Ace Pigeon Old Birds – Section 10
• 3rd Middle-Distance (Nominated)
• 3rd Ace Pigeon Day Long-Distance – Section 10

The national NPO rankings also demonstrate the breadth of these achievements. In 2026, Klaas secured, among others:

• 4th place Day Long-Distance (Nominated)
• 4th place among the best fanciers (Nominated)
• 10th place Day Long-Distance Ace Pigeons

Lot 1: "Daughter of Olympic Maria"

Sire: The "18-798" is a direct pigeon from Henri van den Berg and comes from one of his favorite pairings: son of the Bosua pair × daughter of Justin/Rosella.

Offspring:

"25-255": 2nd Ace Pigeon Young Birds, Section 7

"23-834": 2nd National Orleans, Sector 4; 13th National Issoudun Sector North; and 18th best national ace pigeon

In addition, the "18-798" is the grandfather of, among others, "24-843" which achieved 10th place nationally from Châteauroux against no fewer than 36,233 pigeons.

Dam: Olympic Maria, who represented the Netherlands at the 2026 Dortmund Olympiad in the Long Distance category.

• 4th Olympiad Long Distance
• 9th Olympiad Middle Distance
• 3rd Best Old Bird 2025

For the description of the parents of "Olympic Maria," see Lot 2 = "Full Brother Olympic Maria."

Lot 2: "Full brother to Olympic Maria"

Sire of "Olympic Maria": Rocco was borrowed from Appie Dunnink and is a full brother to, among others:

• Feike 010: 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon Young Birds Sprint '19
• Feike 009: 1st Prov. Ace Pigeon Sprint '22
• Olympic Marissie: winner of 3rd National Ace Pigeon Middle Distance 2022, 6th place at the Olympiad (Sprint category), and 5th place at the Olympiad (Middle Distance category).

Rocco comes from an exceptionally strong breeding pair:

Mister Ras: Blauwe Rambo × sister to the best one-day long-distance pigeon (NPO/WHZB/TBOTB).

Miss Hansa: daughter of Vechter × the foundation hen; together, they formed Hans Hak's famous super pair.

This pedigree combines proven racing performances with strong breeding lines.

Dam of "Olympic Maria": "22-033" – Bred directly from the famous "Lorris-duifje" (Lorris pigeon).

The dam, "22-033," is a daughter of Roelof Coster's famous "Lorris-duifje." This hen proved her class with an impressive series of top prizes in both national and regional races:

• Gennep: 1st against 19,155 pigeons
• Tongeren: 9th against 13,629 pigeons
• Issoudun NPO: 3rd against 3,790 pigeons
• Chimay: 16th against 14,065 pigeons
• Lorris NPO: 4th against 3,455 pigeons
• Lorris NPO: 4th against 2,269 pigeons

At the time, this Lorris hen was paired with a cock bred from a son of Ruud Bakker’s *Fireball* and a granddaughter of J. & F. Hendriks’ *Kleine Gerard*.

Lot 3: NL26-4757074 "Sister 892/893"

This hen is a daughter of the absolute top pair Leideman 483 × daughter 907/906. She comes from a line boasting not only an impressive pedigree but, above all, proven high-level performance. She is a sister to, among others, "24-892", "24-893", and "26-098"—three pigeons that have truly distinguished themselves in competition.

"24-892": 3rd place in the Middle Distance Pigeon Championship of Section 10 and also 14th Ace Pigeon (Old Birds) of Section 10.

His best performances include:

• Kerkrade: 10th against 16,656 pigeons
• Weert: 2nd against 2,913 pigeons
• Weert: 25th against 18,235 pigeons
• Courtisols: 7th against 3,858 pigeons
• Gennep: 8th against 2,701 pigeons
• Rethel: 5th against 1,684 pigeons
• Arlon: 43rd against 13,826 pigeons

"24-893": As a young bird, he won second prize twice in Section 10, good for 5th place in the PIPA Ranking for Young Birds Middle Distance.

As a yearling, he was the 2nd Middle Distance pigeon of Section 10. In 2026, he continued this strong run of form with more impressive championship results:

• 2nd Middle Distance Pigeon, Section 10
• 3rd Champion Pigeon One-Day Long Distance, Section 10
• 2nd Ace Pigeon (Old Birds), Section 10
• 13th National Ace Pigeon (Old Birds), NPO

His race results also speak for themselves. He proved time and again that he ranks among the best pigeons in the competition:

• Marche: 1st against 2,807 pigeons
• Charleville: 2nd against 6,719 pigeons
• Sourdun: 2nd against 5,405 pigeons
• Châlons-en-Champagne: 2nd against 4,925 pigeons
• Châteauroux: 5th against 5,475 pigeons
• Quiévrain: 5th against 2,105 pigeons
• Courtisols: 9th against 3,858 pigeons
• Hirson: 15th against 7,211 pigeons

Furthermore, his qualities are evident in his breeding performance. "24-893" is the sire of "26-4757037," which secured the title of 2nd Champion Young Bird in Section 10.

"26-098" also demonstrated immediately as a young bird that he was made of the right stuff. After five races, he held 2nd place in the national NPO rankings for young birds. Only the sixth race was less successful; following that difficult contest, he did not return home until the next day. His best results to date are:

• Venlo: 1st against 437 pigeons
• Ulft: 29th against 11,669 pigeons
• Weert: 35th against 10,615 pigeons
• Kerkrade: 22nd against 3,592 pigeons
• Gennep: 6th against 405 pigeons

The sire: Leideman 483

The sire of the "26-074" is the direct Leideman 483 from the Leideman brothers. His sire descends from the famous Ad Schaerlaeckens bloodlines, based on Leeuwin × Scheele Diamant. His dam is a daughter of the super pair Arturo × Tila.

The dam: the best daughter of 907 × 906

The dam of the "26-074" is the best daughter of the top pair 907 × 906. She, too, has amply proven her worth as a breeding hen. Among others, she is the dam of the "23-834," which achieved results including 2nd Orleans Sector 4, 13th Issoudun Sector 4, and 18th National Ace Pigeon (Old Birds).

Lot 4: NL26-8346554 "Daughter Rudger"

This hen comes from an exceptionally strong pairing: Rudger (22-988) x 22-242. Both parents have proven themselves as outstanding racers and valuable breeders. A pedigree boasting high-level performances, both in racing and in the breeding loft!

Sire: Rudger "22-988"

Rudger ranks among the top middle-distance pigeons. As a young bird, he was the 3rd Ace Pigeon of Section 10 and the 19th National Ace Pigeon Middle Distance. At the age of two, he once again secured an impressive 3rd place among the middle-distance Ace Pigeons of Section 10, alongside a 13th place finish among the Old Bird Ace Pigeons of the same section.

His racing results also speak for themselves:

• Gennep – 1st against 580 pigeons
• Dreis-Bruck – 3rd against 1,949 pigeons
• Rethel – 4th against 3,924 pigeons
• Duiven – 4th against 593 pigeons
• Tongeren – 6th against 699 pigeons
• Dizy-le-Gros – 7th against 1,177 pigeons
• Arlon – 25th against 18,092 pigeons
• Tongeren – 38th against 19,667 pigeons
• Venlo – 41st against 19,486 pigeons

Rudger was bred from "De Hunt"—a top breeder belonging to Gerard Vloedbeld from Meppel—paired with a daughter of "Oude Jan" from De Ruiter in Teuge. Rudger also demonstrates his class as a breeder. He is, for instance, the sire of "23-841," which achieved impressive race results:

• Sourdun NPO – 1st against 5,405 pigeons
• Duiven – 1st against 1,843 pigeons
• Gennep – 2nd against 2,701 pigeons
• Gennep – 3rd against 3,071 pigeons
• Langres – 4th against 628 pigeons
• Langres NPO – 5th against 2,968 pigeons
• Marche – 17th against 7,808 pigeons

Dam: "22-242"

This hen also possesses exceptional quality on the maternal side. "22-242" is a cousin of Rudger; their dams are sisters. Consequently, both parents originate from closely related, proven performance lines.

Her nest-brother, "22-241," demonstrated his class by finishing 2nd NPO Issoudun against 1,873 pigeons, behind a loft-mate.

"22-242" is also proving her worth as a breeder. Her daughter, "24-843," achieved an exceptional result this year by finishing 10th National Châteauroux against no fewer than 36,332 pigeons. In addition, she won the 2nd national prize from Orléans in Sector 5.

Furthermore, "24-843" finished 10th in the Netherlands in the "De Allerbeste" competition.

Anyone who thought the strong performances of 2025 were a one-off received a clear answer in 2026. Klaas Talen continued his upward trajectory with an exceptionally strong season, excelling in both the Section 10 championships and at the national level. Congratulations to Klaas from the entire Herbots Team!