Femke Bol won the silver medal in the 400 meters hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA. She is the first Dutch ever with a World Cup plaque on this part. Last year, the 22-year-old athlete from Amersfoort won bronze at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Bol failed to beat the big favorite Sydney McLaughlin in the final. The also 22-year-old American Olympic champion triumphed in the Hayward Field stadium in a world record of 50.68. She is the first woman ever under 51 seconds. Bol couldn’t match that. She finished in 52.27 and that was just above her European record of 52.03.
American Dalilah Muhammad ran for bronze in 53.13.
Bol won all her competitions on European soil this year. The Dutch athlete is now so good at the hurdle number that she hardly has any resistance in Europe. On average, her lead was 1.5 seconds over the number 2.
Still, she wasn’t considered the gold favorite in Eugene, because that was McLaughlin. She only ran her races this year in the US and made a big impression at the US championships with a world record of 51.41. There she dived again in the World Cup final in Eugene.
Bol did everything in his power to keep up with McLaughlin in the final, but there was no start. The American raced over the tartan and crossed the finish line 1.59 seconds earlier than Bol. The Dutch could still hold off Muhammad on the last stretch to the finish. This American was still ahead of her in the final of the Games in Tokyo and then took the silver.