Femke Bol anchors Netherlands at the 2021 European Indoor Championships (© Getty Images)
Before last year, the Netherlands had never contested the women’s 4x400m in any top-level international indoor competition.
But at the European Indoor Championships in Torun, a strong Dutch quartet not only won gold but also broke the championship record with 3:27.15.
Three of the women from that team – Femke Bol, Lieke Klaver and Lisanne de Witte – will once again represent the Netherlands at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22. Eveline Saalberg adds further quality, and the team as a whole seems even stronger than it was last year. Indeed, based on the combined total of season’s bests, the Netherlands will be the team to beat – especially with an athlete like Bol on the anchor leg.
But Poland has a pretty formidable record when it comes to relays. They’re the world and Olympic silver medallists outdoors, gold medallists at the past two editions of the European Indoors, and silver medallists at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoors. Three of the women who carried Poland to Olympic silver last year – Justyna Swiety-Ersetic, Natalia Kaczmarek and Iga Baumgart-Witan – are named on the squad for Belgrade.
Jamaica’s relay tradition is just as strong as Poland’s, if not stronger. Their squad for Belgrade isn’t quite as strong as their teams for recent outdoor championships, but they have the likes of Stephenie Ann McPherson – a sub-50-second 400m runner – and Roneisha McGregor on their roster, so have all the tools required to cope with the fast and furious nature of the indoor 4x400m.
The USA has won this title for the past three editions of the World Indoors. Lynna Irby, who featured on the USA’s Olympic gold-medal-winning squad, and three-time world 4x400m champion Jessica Beard will do their best to maintain the US ownership of this title.
Great Britain, winners of this title in 2012, should also be in medal contention. 800m specialist Keely Hodgkinson features on their team, following her indoor 400m PB of 52.42, but she’ll also have rounds of her own individual event to contend with.
Other teams entered include Canada, Belgium, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia. Any one of those could reach the final; because in a relay – especially indoors – anything can happen.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
