Femke Bol remains undefeated at 400 hurdles in Diamond League, Kipyegon world record at 1500 meters | Other sports

In damp conditions – it had rained in the Tuscan city – Bol took off hard and walked away from the competition with long strides. The American Shamier Little finished second at an appropriate distance in 53.38. Her compatriot Anna Hall, who won the heptathlon in Götzis last weekend, finished third in 54.42.

Bol opened her season in Oordegem last Saturday with a time of 53.12. She is focusing on the World Championships in Budapest this summer and mainly wants to perfect her races. The three-time European champion focuses on making longer strides between the fences in the 400 meter hurdles. The aim is to finish the entire round with fourteen steps between the hurdles.

“A great result. The race met all my expectations”, said the 23-year-old from Amersfoort shortly after the race. It was her fourteenth win in a row in the 400 hurdles in the Diamond League. ,,I changed my rhythm between the hurdles; I make fewer passes and I am still very fast.”

Bol will be back in action on Sunday, at the FBK Games in Hengelo. There she runs the 400 meters flat, the part on which she broke the 41-year-old indoor world record in February with a time of 49.26 seconds. She repeated in Florence that her main goal for this year is the world title in the 400 hurdles. “I don’t have a World Cup gold yet and this year I have the chance,” said Bol, who won bronze at the Tokyo Games and silver at last year’s World Cup in Eugene.

Kenyan athlete Faith Kipyegon broke the world record in the 1500 meters at the Diamond League in Florence. The two-time Olympic and world champion was the first woman to run under 3 minutes and 50 seconds: 3:49.11.

Since 2015, the old global record time was 3:50.07 held by Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba. The 29-year-old Kipyegon ran away from the rest of the field in the last lap and crossed the finish line with a big lead. Britain’s Laura Muir finished eight seconds behind Kipyegon in second (3:57.09).

The Kenyan athlete was already in possession of the second fastest time ever and had been aiming for the world record for some time, but she did not expect to take it in Florence. ,,I counted on the best time of the year, but certainly not on a world record. So you see: everything is possible. I am extremely grateful,” said Kipyegon, who ousted Sifan Hassan as track record holder with her world record. The Dutch top athlete won the 1500 meters in Florence in 2021 in 3.53.63.

Lieke Klaver finished second in the 400 meters at the Diamond League in Florence. The sprinter from Enkhuizen ran a time of 50.75, more than half a second above her personal best. She only had to let the Polish Natalia Kaczmarek go ahead (50.41). American Lynna Irby-Jackson finished third in 50.84.

Klaver is already assured of a starting ticket for the World Cup this summer in Budapest. Last winter she won silver in the 400 meters at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

High jumper Douwe Amels made his debut in the Diamond League in Florence. The European indoor champion reached a height of 2.20 meters, good for fifth place. Jorinde van Klinken finished sixth in the discus throw in Florence with a distance of 62.13. American Valarie Allman won with 65.96.