The fall and rise of Femke Bol – Dutch 400m hurdler earns first ...

Six days after her face-down fall five metres short of earning mixed 4x400m gold for the Netherlands, Femke Bol rose to the challenge in her signature event of the 400m hurdles, earning her first global gold in splendid isolation.

The look on Bol’s face as she finished in 51.70, more than a second clear, spoke partly of joy, mostly of relief.

While the 23-year-old’s painful collapse in the relay left her baffled and frustrated, she recovered her form and belief here to complete a global hat-trick of medals in the most satisfying of fashions – Olympic bronze in 2021, world silver in 2022, and now world gold.

Following Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s decision not to defend the world title she won in her home setting of Oregon last year, when she left her Dutch rival halfway down the finishing straight as she improved her world record to a staggering 50.68, Bol’s pathway has been clear.

But converting theory into practice is not always a simple matter – especially after such a shattering start to these championships; and given the presence of the mercurially talented Shamier Little of the United States, who qualified fastest for this final in 52.81.

The 28-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky ran one hundredth of a second faster tonight, which was enough to earn her a second world 400m hurdles silver to add to the one she won in Beijing eight years ago.

Bronze went to Jamaica’s 30-year-old Rushell Clayton, who clocked a personal best of 52.81 to replicate her achievement at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

“It was the best run of my life,” said Clayton. “When I won the bronze medal in Doha, that was an easier run, I can tell you. 

“Now all the ladies were on fire. I was able to better my PB two times in Budapest so I cannot be happier. I knew Femke would be in front of us but the others would be close to each other so I just focused on myself. I told to myself during the race that I needed to push harder because I needed that medal.”

Missing out on a medal by one place was Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya, who returned from a four-year doping ban in September last year and lowered the Asian record for a third consecutive time at these championships as she clocked 53.09.

One place behind her, in a personal best of 53.54, was 25-year-old Anna Cockrell of the United States, completing a far happier global championship experience two years after being disqualified in the Tokyo Olympic final.

On another night of muggy heat, the event brought the events of day six to a conclusion – the temperature at the start time of 9:49pm was still 27C, with humidity at 53%.

Bol had prepared for this event in spectacular fashion during the indoor season as she worked on her speed over 400m flat. To such effect that on 19 February she broke the longest standing athletics track record in the book as she clocked a world indoor record of 49.26 to win the Dutch indoor title, eclipsing the mark of 49.59 set in 1982.

The high point of her outdoor season before Budapest occurred in front of a sell-out 50,000 crowd at the London Stadium on 23 July as she ran a European and Diamond League record of 51.45.

"I've been wanting to run a 51 ever since Tokyo," she said at the time. "I had a feeling I could do it but I still can't believe I've done it."

It has been a year of firsts for the Dutch athlete, who will now set her sights on the challenge of the Paris 2024 Olympics – and McLaughlin-Levrone – with renewed confidence.

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

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