The Ilea Brothers Score a Prestigious Victory at Berlin International 2026

Berlin has been, for many years, one of the most significant races for Romanian fanciers who are passionate about long-distance and marathon racing. It is a competition that has continuously grown in scale and importance and which, from a national event, has meanwhile developed into a true meeting point for pigeon fanciers from several countries.

In 2026, the Berlin International race reached its 16th national edition and its third international edition. After so many years of tradition, it remains one of the races that every marathon fancier would dream of winning. This year’s edition once again confirmed the strength and appeal of the competition.

Berlin International is one of the races that succeeds in bringing together fanciers from all over Romania, going beyond the regional or provincial character that other national races may have. All six Romanian pigeon racing provinces were represented, with participants from 22 UNCR-Columba branches taking part. At national level, 900 fanciers entered a total of 5,948 pigeons.

The international participation completed the picture of a truly impressive competition. From Kosovo, 50 pigeons were basketed by 15 fanciers, while Albania was represented by 59 fanciers who entered 124 pigeons. Once basketing was completed, Berlin International 2026 brought together 6,122 pigeons and 974 fanciers. In such strong competition, winning the Fancier Championship carries a special significance. In 2026, the fanciers who managed to take the top spot were Cătălin and Răzvan Ilea, from Cihei, Bihor County.

A Journey That Began in 2012

Cătălin and Răzvan Ilea have been racing together since 2012. Over the years, the Cihei partnership has gradually built a competitive team and achieved important results at county, regional and national level.

Their first major performances came in the very year they began racing together. At Amstetten in 2012, the Ilea Brothers won 1st County and 4th in the Western Zone, in a race with 2,024 pigeons. The following years brought results that confirmed the consistency and steady development of the partnership.

In 2017, they won 1st County in Ace Marathon – 2-Year Ranking and 2nd in Marathon – 2-Year Ranking, while at Western Zone level they achieved 3rd place in Ace Marathon – 2-Year Ranking.

In 2018, they finished 2nd in Ace Marathon Young Birds, followed in 2019 by 3rd in Marathon Fancier and 3rd in Mature Birds Marathon at county level.

The 2020 season brought further important results: 2nd in Young Birds Marathon, 2nd in Marathon Grand Prix, and 3rd in Marathon Fancier – 2-Year Ranking.

Then came the 2021 season, one of the best years of their competitive career. At county level, the Ilea Brothers achieved an impressive series of results. They won 1st in Ace Marathon Young Birds, being the only fanciers in the county to achieve this performance. During the same season, they also took 1st in Young Birds Marathon, 1st in Young Birds Grand Prix, and 1st in Marathon Fancier – 3-Year Ranking. The list of achievements continued with numerous podium finishes in county competitions, as well as excellent results at Western Zone level. Also in 2021, the Cihei partnership finished 2nd in Ace Marathon Young Birds and 2nd in Ace Marathon – 3-Year Ranking. They followed this with 3rd in Young Birds Marathon, 3rd in Young Birds Marathon Grand Prix, 3rd in Marathon Fancier – 3-Year Ranking, and 3rd in Marathon – 3-Year Ranking.

That same year, they also finished 4th in Berlin – 3-Year Ranking and 4th in Ace Fancier. At national level, the same season brought them 5th in National Berlin – 3-Year Ranking, 11th in Ace Marathon Young Birds, and 15th in Young Birds Marathon Grand Prix.

In 2022, they achieved 3rd in General – 2-Year Ranking, while in 2025 they recorded another major performance: 1st in Stendal National, a race of 956 kilometres, with 1,080 pigeons competing. All these results would, in a way, lay the groundwork for what was to come in the 2026 season.

An Extraordinary 927-Kilometre Race

Berlin International 2026 represented one of the most important challenges of the Cihei partnership’s racing career. The distance to their loft was 927 kilometres, while the competition was worthy of the race’s prestige.

For the Ilea Brothers, however, the race was to become an unforgettable one. They entered 16 pigeons, including 14 yearlings and two mature birds. At the end of the race, 10 of them had achieved a placing, representing a 62.5% scoring percentage.

But their outstanding performance began to take shape from the very first evening of the race. The first Ilea pigeon home was the hen RO-24-2006544, one of the pigeons nominated for their team. After flying almost 1,000 kilometres, the hen arrived at the loft at 21:49:37, recording an average velocity of 1,138.61 m/min. Her arrival was truly exceptional. The hen was the second pigeon home nationally and initially stood 2nd at the release point. After the race continued into the following day, she eventually occupied 9th place.

The moment that would prove decisive for the victory in the Fancier Championship came with the arrival of the second team pigeon. The cock RO-25-2003793 arrived at the loft the following morning at 06:23:58, recording an average velocity of 1,096.41 m/min. He finished 20th overall, and together with the first Ilea hen home, the two team pigeons accumulated just 4.88 penalty points.

That result gave the Ilea Brothers victory in the overall Fancier Championship.

Ten Placings and a Demonstration of Strength

The Fancier Championship victory was not the only aspect highlighting the excellent form of the Ilea Brother’s team. At the end of the race, 10 of their 16 entries had achieved a placing.

At county level, in a competition with 329 pigeons, the Cihei partnership occupied positions 1st, 3rd, 4th, 14th, 34th, 36th, 49th and 52nd. At Western Zone level, in a classification of 2,044 pigeons, the Ilea Brothers started with 2nd place, followed by placings in 11th, 26th, 97th, 202nd, 224th, 266th, 272nd and 404th. At national level, they also produced an outstanding performance, managing to place three pigeons among the top 50 at the release.

For the Bihor partnership, therefore, Berlin 2026 was not simply a victory secured by the points scored by two team pigeons. It was a race in which the entire team entered demonstrated excellent form.

A System Built for Marathon Racing

Behind the Ilea Brother’s performances lies a very well-organised racing system. The partnership generally races a team of approximately 80–100 pigeons, while their breeding loft consists of around 35 pairs. Their breeding stock includes pigeons originating from established marathon families such as Jelle Jellema, Rans Jeroen & Stijn, Batenburg van der Merwe and Harold Zwiers, together with sons of champions from the Western Zone. Throughout the season, the pigeons are raced on the natural system, and the same strategy was used for Berlin International. The first two pigeons home for the partnership were raced on seven-day-old youngsters.

Their preparation for the Berlin race included three training tosses of approximately 70 kilometres, carried out during the weekend preceding the competition. Regarding feeding and team preparation, the Ilea Brothers use Koopman products, Beyers Energy and Versele-Laga Relax. For conditioning, they use Cest Magic and Rohnfried Blitzform, while recovery is supported with Vydex Recovery Superior and Super 6.

For Cătălin Ilea, the Berlin performance represents the most important result of his career to date.

“As far as the result at Berlin is concerned, I can say that it is the most important result I have achieved so far. We are talking about one of the most prestigious and difficult extreme-distance races in Romania. We had a dream race, one that is very difficult to describe in words”, he said.

The moment that made the strongest impression on the partnership was the arrival of the hen RO-24-2006544 on the first evening of the race.

“The fact that our hen managed to arrive during the night, being the second pigeon home among all the pigeons released and one of only two pigeons that managed to make it home on the first day, was something truly special. And the joy continued the following morning, when our pigeons kept arriving at a very high level. It was an extraordinary race for us and a result that we will remember for a very long time,” Cătălin Ilea stated.

The Crowning Achievement of More Than a Decade of Work

Looking back at their journey, the victory at Berlin International 2026 appears as a natural continuation of the work that began in 2012. The results accumulated over the years, their county, regional and national placings, their performances in marathon races and the selection of their racing team all contributed, step by step, to building this success.

For the Cihei partnership, the 2026 Berlin victory is undoubtedly one of the defining moments of their pigeon racing career: a victory achieved in one of Romania’s most difficult and prestigious marathon races and, at the same time, confirmation of more than a decade of consistent work, dedication and perseverance.