RICHMOND, Ky. – Former Eastern Kentucky University cross country / track and field standout Thijs Nijhuis has recorded an Olympic qualifying time of 2:10:57 in the marathon.
 
The performance puts him on track to represent his native Denmark at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
 
Nijhuis clocked the time on Sunday, February 23, at the Sevilla Marathon in Spain.
 
It is the second fastest marathon time ever by a Dane.
 
Nijhuis represented Denmark at the IAAF World Track & Field Championships last October in Doha, Qatar. He finished 31^st out of 73 competitors in the marathon, overcoming temperatures in the high 80s to record a time of 2:18:10.
 
Nijhuis was a key member of an EKU men's cross country team that qualified for three straight NCAA Championships (2011 to 2013), including the 2013 squad that won the NCAA Southeast Region title and finished 15^th nationally. He also represented EKU in the 10,000 meters at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
 
He is currently a full-time medical student at Århus University in Århus, Denmark.