Femke Bol by Vivian Vallarsa
Femke Bol is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in sprints and hurdles. She specializes in 400 meter hurdles, where she was the 2023 World Champion, and the open 400 meter sprint, where she is the indoor world record holder.
Femke was born on February 23, 2000, in Amersfoort, Netherlands. In 2008, she started running at a local club because she found it a way to clear her mind and to have fun.
In 2014, she transferred to another club where her coach saw the talent she had for longer sprints. After this discovery, she started to focus on the 400 meter sprint, where she won five national youth titles. By 2017, she had started hurdling as well, and in 2018 and 2019 won four junior titles in the 400 meter and hurdles.
At this time she began competing internationally. In 2017, the 17-year-old competed in the European Under-20 Championships where she reached the semi-finals of the 400 meter sprint. In 2019, she claimed her first national title in a senior competition, and in June of that year she competed in her third ever hurdle race and broke Dutch records, and reached World Championship qualifying standards.
Just a month later, in July, she won a gold medal in the 400 meter hurdles at the European U20 Championships. In October, she ran a new PR of 55.32 seconds, which ranked her as the second-fastest European U20 woman in history.
Femke began her Olympic career in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She placed third in the 400 meter hurdles behind Sydney McLaughlin and Daliah Muhammad. She was also the anchor leg of the Dutch 4x400 meter race in which they received a gold medal, breaking the national record.
Femke was born on February 23, 2000, in Amersfoort, Netherlands. In 2008, she started running at a local club because she found it a way to clear her mind and to have fun.
In 2014, she transferred to another club where her coach saw the talent she had for longer sprints. After this discovery, she started to focus on the 400 meter sprint, where she won five national youth titles. By 2017, she had started hurdling as well, and in 2018 and 2019 won four junior titles in the 400 meter and hurdles.
At this time she began competing internationally. In 2017, the 17-year-old competed in the European Under-20 Championships where she reached the semi-finals of the 400 meter sprint. In 2019, she claimed her first national title in a senior competition, and in June of that year she competed in her third ever hurdle race and broke Dutch records, and reached World Championship qualifying standards.
Just a month later, in July, she won a gold medal in the 400 meter hurdles at the European U20 Championships. In October, she ran a new PR of 55.32 seconds, which ranked her as the second-fastest European U20 woman in history.
Femke began her Olympic career in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She placed third in the 400 meter hurdles behind Sydney McLaughlin and Daliah Muhammad. She was also the anchor leg of the Dutch 4x400 meter race in which they received a gold medal, breaking the national record.