The Dutch women’s team became world champion on Sunday in the 4 × 400 meter relay, with a time of 3:20.72. The team, with Evelina Saalberg, Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters and Femke Bol, was in third position for a long time. In the last meters Bol accelerated and passed Great Britain and Jamaica. It is Bol’s second gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The Netherlands started the race strongly, but for a long time only a bronze medal seemed possible. Jamaica was clearly ahead, only Great Britain seemed to be able to join. At the last change Bol also remained at a distance for a long time, but in the end she accelerated and so she crossed the line first in a Dutch record time.
It is the fifth World Cup medal for the Orange this week. Bol himself previously won the gold in the 400 meter hurdles, as the first Dutch ever. In the final of the 4×400m mixed relay, she fell in the final meters before the finish, while running on a title race.
Never before has a Dutch relay team won a gold medal at a World Cup. The Dutch men were in the final 4 × 400 meters less than fifteen minutes before the women, but they did not get further than sixth place. The relay women were elected last year Sports Team of the Year. In 2022 they won gold at the European Athletics Championships in Munich and a silver medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
Read also: Femke Bol is on her way to gold with a new cadence and a longer stride length