Can Femke Bol make yet more history by becoming the first three-time winner of the women’s European Athlete of the Year trophy?
After being crowned women’s Rising Star after her breakthrough year in 2021, Bol came back the very next year to win the women’s European Athlete of the Year award in 2022 and again in 2023.
The Golden Tracks awards night will be held in Batumi, Georgia on 25 October.
2025 highlights
- World 400m hurdles champion
- European indoor 4x400m and mixed 4x400m champion
- European Athletics Team Championships 400m winner
- Diamond League 400m hurdles champion
- World mixed 4x400m silver and 4x400m bronze medallist
- World 400m hurdles leader with 51.54
It’s been another memorable and medal-laden season for Femke Bol who shocked the athletics world earlier this month (10) when she announced she will be moving up in distance to the 800m next year.
And if 2025 was her last full season in the 400m hurdles, what a season to bow out on. Bol amassed another unbeaten campaign over the barriers which concluded with gold at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where Bol improved her championship record to 51.54 to become just the second woman in history to win back-to-back world titles in the 400m hurdles.
And Bol has been ever-reliant in the relays as well. Bol anchored the Netherlands to gold medals in both the 4x400m and mixed 4x400m on home soil at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn and won silver and bronze in the mixed 4x400m and 4x400m respectively at the World Athletics Championships.
Still only 25, Bol has accrued an incredible 27 medals - individual and relays combined - from major global or continental championships, a figure that also doesn’t even include numerous other accolades such as her five successive Diamond League titles.
What she said
On the external expectations ahead of Tokyo…
“Tokyo will be amazing and I am so excited for it. Everyone thinks that things will happen if I just click my fingers, but it is not at all the case. It will be Dalilah’s [Muhammad] last run ever and I am sure she will put on a great race, and the others are also pretty strong. I am just going in with my strongest race from start to finish, and I see what it brings me."
On defending her world title in the 400m hurdles in Tokyo…
“This is my second gold medal in a row which makes me really proud. This means the world to me. This year we tried to change some things in training to get better at finishing the race. I really improved myself with that. The last 100m was the best I've had all season, that is what was special today.”
Did you know?
Femke Bol now holds 20 of the 20 fastest times in history on the European all-time list, a particularly impressive feat when you consider that Yuliya Pechonkina held the world record in the 400m hurdles as recently as 2019.
Bol holds the European record in the 400m hurdles with 50.95 and has broken the 52 second-barrier on seven other occasions.
Last 10 women's European Athlete of the Year winners
2024 - Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)
2023 - Femke Bol (NED)
2022 - Femke Bol (NED)
2021 - Sifan Hassan (NED)
2020 - not held
2019 - Mariya Lasitskene (ANA/RUS)
2018 - Dina Asher-Smith (GBR)
2017 - Katerina Stefanidi (GRE)
2016 - Ruth Beitia (ESP)
2015 - Dafne Schippers (NED)
2014 - Dafne Schippers (NED)