"I won't let you alone with the media" - Femke Bol tells how her team helped her to recover mentally after a nasty fall at relay to win gold at 400mH

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Mar 13, 2024 11:31 GMT

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Femke Bol had a dramatic fall at the 4X400m mixed relay event, just a few meters behind the finish line. Her fall cost the Netherlands a gold medal as Femke Bol was leading the race until the USA's Alexis Holmes challenged her.

The Dutch athletes did not finish the race as the baton slipped off Bol's arms and crossed the finish line before she could. This sent a sad wave through the team.

In an interview after her 400m hurdles, she expressed how her teammates supported her. She mentioned she had to go through a series of interviews after her dramatic fall but Leike Klaver stood with her.

"It was a really tough day for all of us and I told them OK go because they had to run the next morning," Bol said. "I told them You can go, I will do the last interview and Leike stuck with me because she said I won't let you alone with the media. I will help you," she continued.

"I mean I wouldn't have this medal without this support. They were so supportive," she added.

The 23-year-old also appreciated her coach, psychologist, and the other team members who stood with her.

"I've such a great team around me, also my coach, my psychologist, my family friends all of them were there. They all helped me," said Bol.

"It was tough but without all of them, I wouldn't have made it," she expressed.

Bol was a part of the winning 4x400m mixed relay team at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

Femke Bol sails in the women's 400m Hurdles to win a gold medal

Femke Bol reacts after winning a gold medal in the women's 400m Hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest

After an unpleasant finish on the first day of the championships, Femke Bol competed in the women's 400m hurdles final on August 24, 2023. She earned the top position on the podium by running in 51.70 seconds.

She left behind Shamier Little and Rushell Clayton. This victory earned her the first gold medal in the world championships. In a post-race interview with CitiusMAG, Bol said the fall led her to win. She expressed that it ignited the flame in her to give her best in the next race.

"It gave me fire," she expressed. "Yeah it gave me fire and it also gave me a bit of scared emotions sometimes. But I also could keep them. 'You've had such a good year. You're so strong. You're not gonna let one really really bad moment screw up this whole tournament," she continued.

Bol will be seen competing in the women's 4x400m relay heats held on August 26, 2023.