Four years after the Tokyo Olympics, Femke Bol is back in the Japanese Capital for the World Athletics Championships. Back then, She was overjoyed with bronze in the 400 meters Hurdles, now she is the top favorite for gold. And that is not the only differentence.
When Bol Got Up in Tokyo in 2021, she didnn’t talk to anyone. “That was Better, because I could spit Into Such A Tube More Easily,” She Remembers. With a Laugh, She Recalls All Kinds of Memories of Her First Games, in The Last Months of the Corona Pandemic. “We are hurrying allowed to operate the elevator. Don’t touch the buttons.”
They were different times in different circumstances. “It’s a Shame that the Stadium was Empty, Luckily That’s Different Now,” Says Bol. “But otherwise i look back with so much pleasure. I was still so young. It was my breakthrough. I was proud that I was allowed to run in Such a special Olympic Final.”
The then 21-year-old Bol Ran a European Record in the 2021 Olympic Final in the 400 meters Hurdles, but that only yielded ‘bronze’. Two American Women Were Faster: Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin, who Even Ran A World Record (51.46).
In Those Years, Bol Spoke with Admiration about “Sydney and Dalilah”. They were Were Examples for Her, The Big Stars of the 400 meters Hurdles. But now that she is back in Tokyo, Bol herself is a star and the favorite for gold. On the outer Wall of the Japan National Stadium, Where the World Championships Started Today, Hangs A Large Photo Of The 25-Year-Old From Amersfoort, Among Other Greats in Current Athletics.
‘She will be extremely motivated’
Muhammad and McLaughlin (Who is now official McLaughlin-Levrone Due to Her Marriage) Are Still Participating in Tokyo. But the chance that they will keep Bol from Gold in the 400 meter hurdles this time is small, if not excluded.
McLaughlin Still Holds the World Record (which now stands at 50.37) and has invariable leg faster than bol in recent years – when she participated. But the 26-year-old Athlete is Skipping the 400 meters Hurdles in Tokyo, because she is opting for the challenge of the 400 meters.
Muhammad is now 35 years old and is in the last week of her career. Bol already passed her in 2022 and since the gap has only widened. “But Dalilah is running well this season,” Says Bol. “She will be extremely motivated, it is her last tournament.”
Yet Bol was Already Eight Times Faster This Year than Muhammad’s Best Time in 2025 (52.58). The Dutch also mentions the name of the American Anna Cockkell as a competitor, but she also does not come close to her in Terms of Times. She is the favorite, She Realizes. “But you never have a medal until you cross the finish line,” she adds.
‘Without Sydney The Goal is not different’
Bol finds it eSpecany Unfortunate That McLaughlin is not participating in Tokyo. Just though she sauddenly has a much Bigger Chance of Gold because of this. “I would have liked to have faced the confrontation. Racing Against Sydney Helps me to get better. She goes so super fast.”
“But the goal has not Become different for me now that sydney is not participating,” Continues Bol. “I want to run my best race of the year in Tokyo. Although I Suddenly Feel the Pressure of the Favorite.”
Bol Can Probable Handle That Pressure, As She Has Often Proven in Recent Years. Two years ago, in The Absence of McLaughlin, She won the First World Title in the 400 meter Hurdles in Budapest. And in The Diamond League, where McLaughlin Invariable Misses, She Has Been in a Lonely Position for Years. She was the fastest thirty times in a row, a series that is still not over.
“Thirty Times in a row, that’s a nice statistic,” She says. “But not the most important. It shows that I am constantly performing at a high level. I am proud of that, because I train hard for it. MoreOover, winning remains fun. I also because it to get used to. Hopefully I can do it again in Tokyo. Breakthrough here.