The last occasion the Netherlands hosted a major international championships, Femke Bol was a young volunteer. Next weekend she will be one of the main attractions, as the Dutch host the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships on 6-9 March.
Scanning tickets for spectators as they entered the Olympic Stadium at the Amsterdam 2016 European Athletics Championships, the 16-year-old Bol was a starry-eyed youngster making her way in the sport, having just placed fourth over 400m at the Dutch U18 Championships earlier in the summer.
But in Apeldoorn, she will be the focus of attention in the relay events, carrying both the baton and a nation’s hopes for medal glory.
Ticket scanner in Amsterdam
Speaking at the Dutch Olympic Training Centre in Papendal on Thursday (27), Bol recalled her experiences in Amsterdam nine years ago.
“I was a volunteer,” she recalls “I was scanning the accreditation or the tickets of people. Also, when I was out there, I could go out and watch a few times. It was absolutely crazy, I still remember the 800m final with Thijmen Kupers [Dutch athlete who placed 6th in men’s 800m final]. The crowd went absolutely crazy, and it was so good to watch.”
Fast forward nearly a decade and with four Olympic medals, four World Athletic Championship medals as well as five European Athletics Championships gold medals, Bol is one of the most decorated and celebrated athletes in the sport.
Intense 2024 season
Last year was a particularly intense season for the Bol, who is a highly-active and prolific competitor.
She was rewarded with a plethora of medals, including two gold medals at both the World Athletics Indoor Championships and European Athletics Championships as well as a medal of every colour at the Olympic Games in Paris where she began her gruelling yet rewarding campaign with an incredible anchor leg to take the Netherlands to gold in the mixed 4x400m.
Understandably, she decided to take a step back from the indoor season this year and Apeldoorn 2025 will be her only indoor appearance of the season. Given the rare opportunity to compete in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at a major event, it was not a moment Bol wished to pass on.
“I think it will be crazy,” she said. “We have a really nice and loud crowd. There are so much family and friends also in the stands and I love to compete at Omnisport, I have competed there quite often. I think it will give us all a huge boost to do great results."
Having recently returned from training in South Africa, she is raring to go for Apeldoorn and the year ahead.
“I am feeling good,” said Bol who has twice broken the world indoor 400m record on this track. “I am really excited for a home tournament. I am feeling strong. I have a good relay ream around me, so I am excited. It’s something different from other years with no individual races. I go into it a bit differently than other years. I’m fresh and well rested.”
"Crazy" to be Olympic champions
Bol’s final leg surges in the 4x400m relays have become a regular feature of major championships both indoors and outdoors, particularly her memorable leg in the mixed 4x400m final that took the Netherlands from fourth to gold at Paris 2024.
It is therefore apt that the country that has played such a large role in the growth in popularity of the mixed relay will host the first ever time the event has taken place at the European Athletics Indoor Championships.
“It’s the first time it’s taking place and it’s in our country taking place for the first time. Since we all love to run the mixed relay, I think it’s really cool,” says Bol.
“We are really committed to the event. We have a rollercoaster with the mixed behind our name. But being Olympic champions is something crazy and we still don’t quite understand it sometimes.”
The 4x400m squads includes Bol’s experienced teammates and training partners Lieke Klaver and Cathelijn Peeters but also 17-year-old Madelief van Leur, who beat Bol’s Dutch indoor U20 400m record earlier this year and is making her senior championships debut.
“Most of them are having a great indoor season so everyone is excited, we have some younger people new in the group and some older ones,” says Bol. “We are feeling good, we are feeling ready, and we always have a good team atmosphere and so we are excited.
“Of course. we hope to do a great race together and do good relay exchanges, hopefully make the crowd really happy.”
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics