Femke Bol is one of the most talented 400m hurdlers in the history of the sport, and she showed her dominance once again on Sunday afternoon in London.
At the London Athletics Diamond League Meet, Bol ran a new world lead and personal best time of 51.45 in the women’s 400m hurdles to take the win against a talented field. Her performance was the third fastest performance all-time in the race, only behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who holds the world record and the second fastest time in the event.
“This is amazing, I cannot believe it yet,” Bol told World Athletics after the race. “I felt really good at some points in the race, but I tried not to think about the goal. I’ve been wanting to run a 51 ever since Tokyo; I had a feeling I could do it but I still can’t believe I’ve done it.
With McLaughlin-Levrone running the women’s 400m, Bol will be the presumed favorite headed into Budapest. She’s no stranger to medaling on the big stage, as she’s medaled at the last two major championship meets. She took home the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in 2021 and she took home the silver medal at the World Championships last season in Eugene in the 400m hurdles.
