The 400 meter hurdles would be a compelling duel between world record holder Sydney McLaughlin and Femke Bol. But the American has opted out and now the Dutch is the towering favorite to take World Cup gold in Budapest for the first time in her career. “I want to run my best race ever.”
Bram Peters, one of Bol’s coaches for years, said it aptly at the beginning of this year. “Sydney is from another planet. Femke is too, but Sydney proves that there is another level above that.”
This difference has become increasingly visible in recent years. Bol always won as long as McLaughlin didn’t compete. At the Games in Tokyo, McLauhlin took gold in a world record time and last year at the World Cup in Eugene she did it again (50.68). The gap with Bol’s record time (51.45) is still considerable.
The performance of the hitherto unbeatable McLaughlin may have become a dot on the horizon for Bol. She changed her running technique this season (fourteen instead of fifteen steps between the hurdles) with the aim of becoming even faster. And to close the gap with McLaughlin for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Maybe even before the World Cup in Budapest, which starts in a week.
But whether that succeeded, we will not know for the time being. In July the news came from the United States that McLaughlin is shooting the 400 meter hurdles in Budapest. No battle with Bol for the world title. The American focuses on the 400 meters, while Bol prevails in the 400 meters hurdles in the absence of McLaughlin. The five fastest times of 2023 are all in the name of the 23-year-old from Amersfoort.
Fastest women this year at 400 meters hurdles
Femke Bol (Netherlands) – 51.45 Britton Wilson (USA) – 53.23 Andrenette Knight (Jamaica) – 53.26 Shamier Little (USA) – 53.34 Dalilah Muhammad (USA) – 53.53 The World Cup podium previous years in Eugene: Femke Bol (silver), Sydney McLaughlin (gold) and Dalilah Muhammad (bronze). Photo: Getty Images
“The field is still very strong”
Bol has often indicated in recent weeks that she regrets that a title fight with McLaughlin will not happen in Budapest. And she repeated that on Friday at a press moment at Papendal. “Yes really, I would have loved to run against Sydney.”
Bol does not want to think too much about the fact that she is now suddenly the favorite herself. “The field is still very strong with Dalilah Muhammad and Shamier Little,” she stressed. “And the Jamaicans are also very fast this year. My goal for the World Cup has not changed either. I want to run my best race ever in the final.”
National coach Laurent Meuwly does acknowledge that the absence of McLaughlin creates a different dynamic. “Of course Femke is now the big favorite for World Cup gold,” he says. “And she has never experienced that before. But I don’t think the pressure will be very different for Femke.”
Meuwly points to Bol’s performance in the Diamond League. The reigning European champion has now won seventeen consecutive victories in the 400-meter hurdles in that lucrative series of competitions, although McLaughlin invariably does not participate.
“The Diamond League is not a World Cup, I realize that. But thanks to her series of victories, Femke has the experience of being the woman to beat. In the Diamond League, she can actually only lose, but that is still not happened. She keeps winning, because she focuses on the execution of the race. That experience can help her at the World Cup. She can handle the pressure in Budapest. At least, that’s what I expect.”
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‘I don’t look at social media anymore’
Based on the last test before the World Cup, Bol seems ready to hunt for gold. On July 23 in London she sharpened her personal best to 51.45. “Looks like I’m in shape,” she said Friday. “It is now another week of training and then I have to be ready for the World Cup.”
Trying to get as little as possible from the high expectations. “I don’t read what the media writes now. And I haven’t looked on social media for over a week. That’s how I always do it before a big tournament. I want to focus on the execution of the races. That’s it. And then we’ll see what the outcome is in just under two weeks. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The World Cup in Budapest starts on Saturday at August 19 and lasts until Sunday August 27. The final of the 400 meters hurdles is on Thursday 24 August at 21.50.
2023-08-12 03:09:00
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