Femke Bol sets new world record in the 400 metres indoors

Femke Bol after the race. Photo: Olaf Kraak
Femke Bol after the race. Photo: Olaf Kraak

Dutch 400 metre runner Femke Bol caused a sensation at the Dutch indoor athletics championships in Apeldoorn on Sunday by setting a new world record of 49.26 seconds.

Bol smashed the 41-year-old record held by Jarmila Kratochvílová from the then-Czechoslovakia by three tenths of a second. She had first dipped under the 50 second mark earlier in Metz last weekend.

Bol, who described the race as ‘almost perfect’,  now heads for the European championships in Istanbul next month as top favourite for the title. The 22-year-old took the European title in Poland in 2021 and won a bronze for the 400 metres hurdles at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation