Femke Bol set a new 400m hurdles meeting record at Stockholm Diamond League

European record holder in the 400m hurdles Femke Bol continues to develop her form with the new technique. The Dutch track and field athlete recorded a victory at the Stockholm Diamond League with a new meeting record of 52.11 sec, which is her season’s best. Femke Bol improved her own meeting record of 52.27 sec, set in 2022. The achievement of the Olympic medalist and European champion also places her second in the world rankings for the season, which is headed by world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with 52.07 sec.

Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad (USA) finished second in 52.91 sec, and Panama’s athlete Gianna Woodruff took the bronze with 53.99 sec.

“It’s one of my favorite stadiums so to set the record in the stadium makes me really happy. I’m still not at my best so the win is especially nice. I was really focused on the middle part of the race today and that worked out well as I moved forward at that stage”, said Femke Bol after the victory. “A race is never the same as a training run and this is only my third start of the season but I’m starting to get a feel for the obstacles better with each race and I’m getting into shape. The level of steeplechase is so high at the moment so I’m really excited as I prepare for the World Championships. Then I’ll run a few 400m, then I have the London Diamond League and then it’s back to a big training block before Tokyo”, added she.

Femke Bol is an expert in the 400m hurdles, where she claimed the title of 2023 World Champion, and in the 400m, where she is recognized as the 2024 World Indoor Champion and the holder of the short track world record. In the 4x400m relay, she is the 2023 World Champion and 2024 World Indoor Champion with the Dutch women’s team, as well as the 2024 Olympic Champion with the Dutch mixed team. Femke Bol holds the world record in the 400m short track, clocking a time of 49.17 sec on March 2, 2024; the European record in the 400m hurdles with a time of 50.95 sec established on July 14, 2024, which positions her as the second-fastest woman in history for this event. Additionally, she has recorded world-best performances in the 300m hurdles, 500m short track, and the mixed 4x400m relay short track.