Two races, twice gold, and the indoor season of Femke Bol is ready again

Of course Femke Bol did not give this away. In the final of the 4 × 400 meters for women, it remained exciting for a long time on Sunday evening, when Bol and the British closing runner sat down next to each other. But then Bol, Indoor, turned on the fastest woman in the 400 meters ever, and the gap with every pass became bigger. On the line, the difference was more than half a second – and the cheers deafening.

Before the eye of King Willem-Alexander, the Dutch team on Sunday on the final day of the European Athletics Championships in Omnisport in Apeldoorn took the one after the other European title. The atmosphere, accompanied by the music of Snollebollekes, was downright festive all day, but the loudest was shouted when Bol stormed on the finish on her own.

Afterwards, full of left to right jumped, she hit the baton out of joy in the air. “I didn’t want to miss it here with the women’s team, with the mix [gemengde aflossingsploeg]”She said, looking at the rest of the team. “With all that audience you get a boost, that gives so much energy. This is really great. ”

Two races, twice gold, and the indoor season for Bol is already over. The face of Dutch athletics ran this tournament in its own country two relay but not 400 meters, the distance at which she is world champion and world record holder. In her absence, Lieke Klaver became European champion. The World Championships in China will also be full of two weeks.

It is a decision that the 25-year-old Bol took for himself last year, just after the Olympic Games in Paris. Normally she lets it depend on her shape in the preseason: if it is good, then she participates in the indoor circuit; And that was always the case in recent years.

Roller-coaster

This year it was also fine with her shape, Bol told two weeks ago. But this time there was something different: “I have actually had Tokyo since the Olympic Games [in 2021] Didn’t really have a moment of rest, “said Bol. Each time she went from competition to competition, indoor and outdoor, each time the results became more beautiful, like a “roller coaster that mainly goes up”.

Very nice, said Bol, but not just beautiful. “If I thought that I couldn’t get towards me anymore, it would happen. Then I became a double world champion, then more came to me again. Then I took the world record, even more. “

All those attention and expectations cost BOL energy. She is so competitive that she cannot do her preparations for the competition, said her coach Laurent Meuwly. “She doesn’t participate in fun, then she wants to perform.” According to him, Bol needed mental rest to get back to her top level and to get even better.

The pleasure in her sport was less in the past year, Bol admitted. “Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I put so much pressure on myself that it was occasionally less than I wanted.” All of that has to do with her perfectionism, which always comes up towards competitions. “Now that stress was a lot less, because there was no competition.”

Bol has reached a point in her career that she can afford it. She is now Olympic champion, multiple world and European champion and world record holder. “I now have every medal that you can actually want. It is good to be able to look at it with some time and distance. I want to be able to appreciate it, because it is very special what I am experiencing. ”

Experiment

This post-Olympic year offered Bol an opportunity to divide her season differently. “I have chosen to run a competition so often. So now I will say ‘no’ once and see if I will regret it. ” That the World Cup Athletics in Tokyo this year will only take place in mid -September instead of the beginning of August is an additional reason; The road to her absolute peak this season is still long.

Thanks to her decision, Bol was able to train more than in other years, and “harder than ever,” she said. While the rest of the training group under Coach Meuwly started to focus on this European Championship, Bol continued to work on her endurance and speed. She has been able to train more on the hordes than in previous seasons, and is experimenting between the hordes together with Meuwly with her step of steps.

The goal will continue to be the best in the coming years in the 400 meters of hurdles and to become Olympic champions. This year, however, Bol wants to think about the Olympic Games. “For a moment the pressure is gone.”

But she couldn’t skip a European tournament in her own country, said Bol. “Who doesn’t want to walk on a home tournament?” The last time an athletics tournament was organized in the Netherlands, the European Championship in Amsterdam in 2016, was Bol volunteer and scanned tickets. “I don’t think she would have participated if this tournament had not been to the Netherlands,” said her coach Meuwly.

The relay numbers offered Bol a compromise: could take action in a team without having to seek the stress for themselves. She did not have any doubt about her form in advance, even though she had not worked specifically at this tournament. “I assume that I can bring the baton home well.”

That happened – and even without a top form, Bol made the difference. First on Thursday in the 4 × 400 meter mixed relay, where Bol was handed the baton in third position in the final as a final runner, and then started on a hair -typical catch -up race.

On Sunday, the Dutch women led to finish. Bol only had to finish it, and did it convincingly.

When Bol can be admired again during an athletics match, she does not yet know. Coming out on the 4 × 400 meters during the World Cup relay in China in May is an option. Bol thinks of mid -June for the 400 meter hurdles. “I think I will eventually run a lot of races. But it is not that I used to start in the open air because I am not running any competitions now. Eventually I have to peak at the end of September. ”

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