Femke Bol sets a meeting record in the 400m hurdles at the FBK Games in Hengelo (© Dan Vernon for World Athletics)
Femke Bol delighted the home crowd with a dominant meeting record-breaking victory in the 400m hurdles, while Chase Jackson secured a statement shot put win at the FBK Games – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – in Hengelo on Monday (9).
World champion Bol maintained the momentum two weeks on from achieving her fastest ever 400m hurdles season opener in Rabat, finishing just 0.05 off the time she ran there to win in Hengelo in 52.51.
The 25-year-old is using a new technique out of the blocks this season and she got out fast. Gradually moving further away from her rivals, she eventually won by two seconds as Panama’s Gianna Woodruff secured second place in 54.54.
“I've done it – I've got the meeting record,” said Bol, who improved her own record of 53.94 set in 2022. “To be honest, I didn't really think about a specific time or anything before the race, but I really wanted to win here in front of the home crowd.
“The first part (of the race) went really well, especially with the changes I've made recently. Obviously, I felt the pain and the lactate at the end of the race, but you just know that's coming. This result shows I'm on track. I ran faster than I usually do at this time of the year.”
USA’s two-time world shot put champion Jackson has also had a superb start to the season and she built on the outdoor world lead of 20.54m she set in Shanghai/Keqiao by going eight centimetres farther.
Chase Jackson in action in Hengelo (© Dan Vernon for World Athletics)
Even more impressively, she achieved that 20.62m throw in the first round of the competition, just two days on from competing in Taipei City where she also won with a throw beyond 20 metres. Including indoor meetings, the 30-year-old has surpassed the 20-metre mark in eight competitions this year and this latest winning throw is just 14 centimetres off her own national record set in Eugene in 2023.
Jackson also threw 20.05m in the fifth round in Hengelo and all of her other throws were 19.49m or beyond. Home star Jessica Schilder also bettered 20 metres, throwing 20.16m to finish second, while USA’s Maggie Ewen was third with 19.48m.
Slovenia’s 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh claimed his fifth discus win in 16 days, throwing 69.21m to triumph in a battle against Olympic champion Roje Stona and Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny.
Ceh surpassed 67 metres with all four of his valid throws, achieving his winning mark in the third round and backing it up with 68.82m, 67.79m and 67.05m. Australia’s Denny and Jamaica’s Stona also went beyond the 67-metre mark, managing 67.64m and 67.17m to finish second and third, respectively – Stona in his first competition since September.
World leader Cordell Tinch returned to winning ways in the 110m hurdles, three days on from being beaten by just thousandths of a second in Rome. This time the US athlete, who moved to equal fourth on the world all-time list with 12.87 earlier in the season, clocked 13.10 (0.0m/s). His compatriot Dylan Beard had him under some pressure but suffered a fall after hitting the final hurdle and Jamaica’s Omar McLeod clinched the runner-up spot in 13.42.
Home favourite Nadine Visser dipped to victory in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.59 (1.0m/s) to win ahead of South Africa’s Marione Fourie, who launched herself over the finish line and finished just 0.01 back. Pia Skrzyszowska was third in 12.77.
Uganda’s Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Peruth Chemutai cruised to a dominant win in the 3000m steeplechase. She started fast, covering the first 1000m in 2:57.94, before reaching the 2000m mark in 6:03.33 and going on to win by more than 13 seconds in 9:07.79. Ethiopia’s Wosane Asefa followed her over the finish line to secure second place in a PB of 9:20.83.
Mark English improved his own Irish 800m record for the second time this season, going sub-1:44 for the first time with 1:43.92 to win after a strong kick down the home straight. France’s Yanis Meziane was second in 1:44.32 and Australia’s Peyton Craig was third in 1:44.32, while 19-year-old Jakub Dudycha improved his own Czech record to 1:44.78 in fourth place.
Mark English wins the 800m in Hengelo (© Dan Vernon for World Athletics)
Jonas Phijffers improved the Dutch U23 record in front of a delighted home crowd to win the 400m, dipping under 45 seconds for the first time with 44.93 to deny Brazil’s Matheus Lima (45.21). Botswana’s Olympic 4x400m silver medallist Busang Kebinatshipi pulled up and did not finish.
There was another home win in the men’s 100m, Elvis Afrifa dipping to victory in 10.25 (-1.0m/s) ahead of South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson (10.28) and Sweden’s Henrik Larsson (10.29). USA’s Anavia Battle cruised to a comfortable win in the 200m, clocking 22.75 (-0.5m/s) to maintain her win streak in individual events in 2025.
Anaïs Bourgoin of France found a gap on the inside to beat Botswana’s Oratile Nowe in the 800m. Nowe was to the fore once the pacemaker stepped aside but Bourgoin timed her finishing kick to perfection, taking advantage of the space on Nowe’s left to win in 1:59.53. Nowe was second in 1:59.58 and USA’s Sage Hurta-Klecker was third in 1:59.77.
USA’s multiple global medallist Chris Nilsen cleared 5.82m on his third attempt to win the pole vault ahead of his compatriot KC Lightfoot (5.74m), while Australia’s two-time world indoor champion Nicola Olyslagers won the high jump, clearing 1.93m to clinch her victory before managing 1.97m on her second try.
Portugal’s Gerson Balde, fresh from a PB of 8.20m at the end of last month, this time managed 8.07m (0.2m/s) to win the long jump ahead of Australia’s Liam Adcock, who jumped 8.34m to win three days ago in Rome and jumped 7.97m (0.5m/s) in Hengelo.
