From devastating falls to breathtaking comebacks, Femke Bol has become the defining anchor leg of championship relays.
But at the World Athletics Championships starting on 13 September in Tokyo, will the Dutch star spread herself across three events or narrow her sights on defending her hurdles crown?
The anchor leg who always delivers drama
In recent years, few athletes have provided as much theatre on the track as Femke Bol. Whether in triumph or despair, her closing legs in the relays have delivered some of the sport’s most unforgettable moments.
At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she stumbled metres from the line in the mixed 4x400m with gold within touching distance.
Days later, she turned anguish into triumph: first claiming her maiden world title in the 400m hurdles, then storming through the final lap of the women’s 4x400m to snatch an improbable gold for the Netherlands.
McLaughlin-Levrone Olympic rivalry
Twelve months later in Paris, Bol spearheaded the Dutch to historic gold in the mixed 4x400m relay on the opening night of the Games. But in the individual 400m hurdles, she was off her best, while her great rival Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stormed to gold in a world record 50.37. Bol took bronze in 52.15.
The two clashed again in the women’s 4x400m. McLaughlin-Levrone brought the baton home for the United States in 3:15.27, while Bol’s Dutch quartet secured silver in 3:19.50.
Relentless Schedules, Relentless Success
Bol has rarely shied away from a heavy programme. At the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships, she won an astonishing treble: the 400m hurdles, the flat 400m, and the 4x400m relay. In Rome 2024, she claimed double gold in the 400m hurdles and women’s 4x400m relay, adding to bronze in the 4x400m mixed relay.
Only at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn did she change course, skipping the individual 400m for the first time to concentrate on team events. A glimpse of a more selective approach perhaps?
The Tokyo dilemma
The global picture looks different this year. McLaughlin-Levrone is focusing on the 400m flat in Tokyo, which makes Bol the clear favourite to defend her 400m hurdles crown. She will almost certainly anchor the women’s 4x400m, a race that could provide the only direct meeting between the two this season.
But the question remains: will Bol also line up in the mixed 4x400m on the opening evening, 13 September? The Dutch are openly targeting four medals in Tokyo. With Bol, that ambition is strengthened. Without her, their chances diminish.
For years, Bol has been the athlete eager to step on every start line possible. Yet with her world title at stake, will she gamble on three fronts-or manage her programme more carefully?
Whatever decision she makes, one certainty remains: when Bol takes the baton on the final lap, the athletics world will be watching.