In Pictures: Femke Bol, Sifan Hassan and other Dutch athletes meet the Royal family of Netherlands after victorious campaign at the Paris Olympics

By Muskan Sharma

Modified Aug 16, 2024 19:15 GMT

Track and field star Femke Bol recently met the Dutch royal family on August 13, following her victorious campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024. Alongside Bol, other Dutch athletes, including Sifan Hassan, Lieke Klaver, and many more, were seen interacting with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at The Hague.

Femke Bol, 24, made a terrific comeback at the Paris Olympics. The athlete, who tripped in the final leg of the mixed 4x400m relay race at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, bounced back in magnificent fashion. Bol won her team a gold medal by finishing the final lap in 47.93. The Dutch athlete also clinched a silver and a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay race and 400m hurdles, respectively.

Moreover, team Netherlands as a whole, delivered a series of impressive performances at the quadrennial event. They were ranked sixth in the overall medal tally with 34 medals to their credit: 15 gold, 7 silver, and 13 bronze.

After the team returned from Paris, it was invited to the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague to meet the Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.

Athlete Lisanne De Witte posted pictures of the meeting on her Instagram handle. The pictures featured the King and Queen interacting with the medal winners and sharing frames with them. The athlete captioned her post,

"So special to have met the Royal Family. A little bit starstruck, a moment I won’t forget! 🧡"

Team Netherlands achieved its best-ever Summer Olympics performance in Paris.

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Femke Bol on winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024

Femke Bol at the Paris Olympics (Image via Getty)

A month prior to the Olympics, Bol had impressed the world with her timing of 50.95s at Chaux-de-Fonds. Her attempt to edge closer to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record of 50.65s. Her impeccable performance ignited anticipation among fans for a showdown between the two athletes at the Paris Olympics.

However, McLaughlin-Levrone surpassed the Dutch prodigy and defended her dominance in the event by clocking 50.37s. Bol, meanwhile, secured third place by crossing the finish line in 52.15 seconds.

After receiving the bronze medal, Bol reflected on her Olympic journey in an Instagram post. She said that she gave it her all at the marquee event. However, it was “not the race and result” the 24-year-old hoped for.

“Gave it my all, left my heart on the track. It’s not the race and result I came for and that hurts. However, I’m proud of myself and my team for winning the second individual Olympic medal and for putting it all on the line to not have any regrets,” she wrote.

She also thanked her fans for supporting her and Team Netherlands at the Olympics.

"The stadium that turned orange during the final night was truly magical. Thank you to everyone who was there that night I felt soooo supported: before, during and after the race🧡," she added.

"And thank you to the amazing team of people I’m surrounded with, couldn’t do it without all of you ♥️," she concluded.

Femke Bol will be next seen competing at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 22 in Switzerland.