Femke Bol runs a world indoor 400m record in Glasgow (© Dan Vernon)
When Femke Bol broke her world indoor 400m record with a 49.24 clocking at her national championships in Apeldoorn on 18 February, the mild-mannered Dutchwoman confessed she was annoyed to be asked whether she could go faster when she went for gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.
“Last year I ran a world record and now I’ve done it again,” replied the world 400m hurdles champion. “Isn’t it good enough yet?”
Clearly, it wasn’t.
When it came to the big global occasion, Bol delivered an even bigger performance.
Setting off in that smooth, silky style of hers, the 23-year-old pride of Amersfoort flew through 200m in 23.61, pluckily pursued by her compatriot and training partner Lieke Klaver.
That was 0.01 inside her split time in Apeldoorn – the venue where she set her first world indoor record of 49.26 a year ago.
Maintaining her form – if not quite her searing pace over the second 200m circuit of the Glasgow Arena, the brilliant Bol crossed the line in what was initially flashed on the trackside clock as 49.18 but swiftly amended to 49.17*.
By a margin of 0.07, she had broken her record again – the first global mark of the 2024 World Indoor Championships.
For good measure, Klaver finished a clear second in 50.16, completing the first Dutch 1-2 double in world indoor history. It was also a double success for Laurence Meuwly, their coach at the Dutch Olympic training centre in Papendal.
Alexis Holmes, the US runner who took world mixed 4x400m gold when Bol slipped within sight of victory in Budapest last year, claimed the bronze medal in a lifetime best 50.24, with British champion Laviai Nielsen fourth in 50.89, also a PB.
Holmes’ US team-mate Talitha Diggs was fifth in 51.23 and Susanne Gogl-Walli sixth in 51.36, an Austrian record.
For Bol, there was also sweet redemption. At the last World Indoor Championships in Belgrade two years ago, she had to settle for a distant silver, finishing 0.26 behind the victorious Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
Bol’s time also smashed Olesya Krasnomovets-Forsheva’s championship record of 50.06 from 2006 to smithereens.
“It was amazing,” Bol reflected. “It was such a strong race and I knew I had to go out fast.
“My coach said to me, 'You can run faster,' but to be honest I just wanted to win.
“This is great because I've not done hurdles for four weeks and it gives me confidence. And to get this with Lieke, it's so good for our sport and our team.”
Going back in the history of the official World Indoor Championships, only four Dutch athletes had previously won a gold medal: Neli Cooman at 60m in 1987 and 1989, Elly van Hulst at 3000m in 1989, Nadine Broersen in the pentathlon in 2014 and Sifan Hasan at 1500m in 2016.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
| WOMEN'S 400m MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Femke Bol 🇳🇱 NED | 49.17 WR |
| 🥈 | Lieke Klaver 🇳🇱 NED | 50.16 |
| 🥉 | Alexis Holmes 🇺🇸 USA | 50.24 PB |
| Full results | ||
