"Special to be back"- Femke Bol cherishes Gyulai Istvan Memorial win in one of her final races before World Championships

Femke Bol shared her thoughts on her win at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial after recording a dominant victory at the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour meeting. She raced in the 400m hurdles in which she won with a time of 52.24s.

She was much ahead of her competitors in the race with Belgium’s Naomi Van den Broeck and the USA's Jasmine Jones finishing second and third, recording times of 54.50s and 54.61s.

Following the race, Femke Bol expressed her excitement to be back at the venue where she won two gold medals at the 2023 World Athletics Championships as both that event and the Gyulai István Memorial took place at the Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, popularly known as the National Athletics Centre. Via an Instagram post, she wrote:

“So special to be back racing in a stadium that holds so many memories ☺️♥️ Enjoyed this one so so much! Thank you for an amazing meet @gyulaimemorial Happy to take the win in 52.24 ✨”

Notably, Femke Bol had previously announced in another Instagram post that the Budapest meeting would be one of her final races before the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, scheduled from September 13 to 21. In the same post, she revealed that she will next compete in the Silesia Diamond League and the Zurich Diamond League Final in the 400m hurdles before traveling to Japan.

At this year’s World Championships, she will aim to defend her 400m hurdles title, having won it in 2023, clocking a time of 51.70s. Her rival and current world record holder in the event, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, won’t be racing in the 400m hurdles this time at the Worlds as she is set to race the 400m flat at the tournament, having qualified for the event through the USA Track and Field Championships.

Femke Bol targets fifth straight Diamond League crown in 400m hurdles

Femke Bol during the London Athletics Meet 2025 (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

Femke Bol will be targeting her fifth consecutive Diamond League title when she races in Zurich Diamond League Final on August 28. She previously won the 400m hurdles crown in the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 finals, and will look to extend her dominance this year.

In 2025, she has competed in London, Monaco, Stockholm and Rabat Diamond Leagues and collected victories in all the legs with dominant performances.

If the four-time Olympic medalist wins her fifth title, she will join Noah Lyles and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce among the big names to have achieved this feat.

About the author

Abhiruchi is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Wrestling among other sports. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has over 2 years of prior experience in the sports journalism sector.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are Abhiruchi’s favorite Olympians. She began following them in 2018, and seeing their transformation from initially not wanting to play together to becoming the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair inspires her.

Track & Field excites Abhiruchi the most because of the diverse range of events involved in it. Neeraj Chopra's historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as her favorite Olympic moment as it was India’s first gold in track and field events. She feels that focus should be placed on up-and-coming athletes to increase the coverage of Olympic sports during the off-season.

Abhiruchi applies journalistic principles learnt while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree by prioritizing first-hand information, cross-checking via multiple reliable sources, and fact-checking for accuracy. She follows reputed sources and numerous established athletes on social media platforms to remain updated.

When not reporting, Abhiruchi enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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Edited by Abhiruchi Rout