Just weeks after successfully defending her world title over the 400m hurdles, Femke Bol announced she would be moving to run the 800m.
She has now revealed that she is unlikely to run the 400m hurdles again, and that this decision is a long-term commitment despite not yet knowing when her first race will be.
Although her coach Laurent Meuwly recent suggested her first outing over the new distance could come as early as "February or March."
And with the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships fast approaching on 10-16 Auugust, we could see Bol try to extend her medal streak and stretch it over a new event.
Confident on switch
"There's a good chance I'll never run the 400m hurdles again,” Bol told NOS. “I think it's always an option, but the plan is really to be able to run a really good 800m."
"The unknown is something very exciting, but also something very fun. The 400-meter hurdles was so challenging. But with everything I've achieved, I've also gained the confidence to dare to take such a step."
"I'm not afraid of failing on the track. I'm not living in a fairy tale. It's an illusion that I can immediately compete with the best in the 800 and win.
“That will take time; I just have to see if I get there."
The three months since transitioning into middle distance running has proved to be a challenge for Bol, but mostly because she has had to learn to go slower.
“Slower, I've been hearing that word a lot lately,” Bol said. “Slower, slower!"
New training reality
While the 400m hurdles is a long sprint, Bol has had to adapt to a more aerobic training programme, a big change from her anaerobic, explosive training previously.
"I now run 40 to 55 km a week”, she said from her training camp in Stellenbosch. “That's a lot more than I used to do, but others will consider it far too little.
“Sometimes it feels like I'm walking backward. That was also something I was looking forward to, being able to run a lot. I always thought that would be something for after my career.
“A run here in South Africa. Or when I was in Germany for Christmas, I also enjoyed running laps there.
“I also find that mentally good, to get my mind off things. And it's nice to have a completely new approach."
But as we quickly progress through the indoor season and look towards the outdoors, Bol will be aiming to compete with the best at the at Birmingham 2026.
She will likely have to face the British duo of Olympic Champion Keely Hodgkinson and world silver medallist Georgia Hunter Bell, but Bol is confident that her speed will be what makes her strong against her competitors.
