Dutch track star Femke Bol shattered her own indoor 400-meter world record at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday, adding another gold medal to her kitty.
The 24-year-old athlete led most of the race and then sprinted away on the final straight, finishing in an impressive time of 49.17 seconds. Her fellow teammate, Lieke Klaver, came in second place, nearly a second behind. USA's Alexis Holmes finished third, achieving a personal best time of 50.24 seconds.
During the post-match conference with Athletics Weekly, Bol talked about her performance:
“I knew I needed a really good race to win this gold. I knew I had to open fast, and once you open fast you have to keep going because you’ll die anyway.”
Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, are both favorites for the upcoming Paris Olympics. When Bol was asked about the competition between her and McLaughlin-Levrone, she replied:
"I love competing, I love to race. I love to compete against the best"
She also acknowledged the dominance of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400m hurdles, saying:
"It's always amazing to race with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone because she is the best-ever in hurdles."
Femke Bol sets a new record in World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024
Femke Bol broke her own 400m indoor world record at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday. Bol won the world indoor championship title in 49.17s and took 0.07s off the record she set two weeks ago at the Dutch championships.
After the race, Femke said:
“Last year I ran a world record and now I’ve done it again. Isn’t it good enough yet?”
“This is great because I’ve not done hurdles for four weeks and it gives me confidence,” she added after Saturday’s race in Glasgow. “And to get this with Lieke, it’s so good for our sport and our team.”
Femke Bol also won gold medals in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay at the outdoor world championships held last year in Budapest.