Femke Bol expresses excitement on returning to London League as the 400m hurdles defending champion

By Nandika Chand

Modified Apr 25, 2024 17:38 GMT

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Femke Bol, who made her at the London Athletics Meet in 2023, is set to return to the London Diamond League on July 20. The Dutch athlete won the 400m hurdles at last year's event with the third-fastest time in history of 51.45.

Bol, 24, is ranked in the sporting world as one of the brightest stars. She has won double gold in the 400m hurdles and women's 4x400m relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Bol told British Athletics that she has amazing memories of racing in London last year:

"That race meant so much to me and it really gave me confidence ahead of the World Championships."

She added:

"I'd been wanting to run a 51-second race ever since Tokyo and the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. It really drove me on to achieve that." (via British Athletics)

Femke Bol hopes to experience the same at this year's event and spring into the Paris Olympics. She also highlighted the upcoming London Diamond League on her Instagram story:

Femke Bol shared London Diamond League 2024 poster on her Instagram story.

London Athletics Meet also took to social media to highlight the unstoppable Femke Bol. It said:

"After smashing World Records in Glasgow, the double World Champ returns to the UK this summer for #LondonDL"

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Femke Bol shattered world indoor 400m hurdles record in Glasgow

Femke Bol at World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 - Day Two

In February, Bol set a new 400m indoor record with a time of 49.24 at the national championships in Apeldoorn. Last month at the indoor championships in Glasgow, she went even faster clocking 49.17.

She told European Athletics it was a dream come true:

"I knew I was in good shape, but you can never predict a world record."

Bol said it was a strong race and knew that she had to go fast. She shared:

"My coach (Laurent Meuwly) said to me 'you can run faster' but to be honest I just wanted to win," the Dutch athlete said. "This is great beacuse I've not done hurdles for four weeks and it gives me confidence." (via European Athletics)

It should be noted that Femke Bol holds the fastest times for indoor 400m (4x). She also competes in the women's 4x400m relay but has made her mark in the 400m hurdles. Bol won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.