Gerard Nijboer

Gerard Nijboer ( born August 18, 1955 in Hasselt ) is a former Dutch long-distance runner. He won at the Olympic Games in 1980 the silver medal in the marathon and won at the European Championships 1982 in Athens over the same distance.

After a viral disease Nijboer had gone weak in the Olympic race of Moscow. Nevertheless, he held up until the closing stages of the race in a five -man lead group. The defending champion Waldemar Cierpinski he had to let them go. The other runners in the top group, three Soviet athlete, he was able to shake off at a boarding station. At the finish Nijboer was 17 seconds Cierpinski in second place.

He won four times (1980, 1984, 1988 and 1989), the Amsterdam Marathon. His 1980 there be imputed Dutch record of 2:09:01 hours was only after more than 23 years improved by Kamiel Maase.

Currently Nijboer has worked as a long-distance coach for the Royal Netherlands Athletics Union ( KNAU ).