Femke Bol convincingly won the 400-meter hurdles at the FBK Games on Monday. The athlete from Amersfoort set a stadium record in Hengelo, using a new running technique.
“The time is very good; I’m happy with that,” Bol told the ANP. The 25-year-old world champion completed the 400-meter hurdles in 52.51 seconds in Hengelo. With that, she won with ease and shattered the stadium record of 53.94.
Bol ran the race with a cross on her left ankle. That has to do with a new technique, where she jumps over the first hurdle with a different leg. “I put that cross there so I don’t get confused,” said Bol, who now starts with her left leg in front.
“It’s still a bit of thinking, but less and less. It’s becoming more and more feeling. I did say to myself in the race ‘right, right, right’ because I have to go over the first hurdle with my right. That still takes some getting used to. But once I’m over that, it’s fine.”
Bol was just slightly slower than her winning time from two weeks ago in Rabat, when she recorded 52.46. “There were very good conditions and the track was good. This is also a good track, but it’s not 30 degrees like there. It is very positive that I am running almost as fast here.”
“If all goes well, in Japan it will only be feeling and going,” Bol looked ahead to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. “Then it should go automatically, but sometimes it doesn’t even go automatically and you still run well.”