"Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone really pushed the bar"- Femke Bol weighs in on the American extending the limit of the sport after Paris Olympics WR

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Aug 12, 2024 06:30 GMT

Femke Bol spoke about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's incredible performance at the Paris Olympics and how she has been pushing the limit of the sport ever since the Tokyo Olympics. The Dutch athlete expressed that she has been inspired by McLaughlin-Levrone to be limitless and explore the possibilities of achieving greater ambitions in the sport.

Bol marched on to the Paris Olympics after a series of impressive performances in the 2024 season right from breaking the Indoor 400m world record to clocking her personal best in the 400m hurdles in Switzerland. She was considered one of the top prospects for the podium in the 400m hurdles alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, considering their performances in the early 2024 season.

McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world record in the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics with a time of 50.37s. Bol spoke about the American athlete's performance in a post-race press conference and revealed how she is the pioneer of the 400m hurdles as she keeps on pushing the limits.

"I mean Sydney really pushed the bar. I mean, she was running 50 when I was still running 52 and I think it really opened your eyes that there was so much more possible because I like to sometimes think of limits and think I really learned not to do this and see how much is possible and once again she proved it. On the moment it counts the most like the Olympic final that she can perform so well and we are getting close to 49, so it is really amazing to be a part of this," she said (6:45)

Femke Bol on winning the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics

Femke Bol - Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 13 - Source: Getty

Femke Bol won the bronze medal in the women's 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics after clocking 52.15s. She spoke about her performance in a post-race interview and expressed her disappointment with her performance.

"No, It's not at all what I wanted. I still took bronze, so this is something special for me that I could defend, but, I wanted my best race but if it had been my best race, I would be happy. But this was a really, really bad race. I really got a lot of lactic and I really don't know why. But this is just really, I could not move. I could not get my strides right in the end and it was slow, slow and slower. I don't know why," she said.

Femke Bol concluded her Paris Olympics campaign with three medals - gold in the 4x400m mixed relay, silver in the women's 4x400m relay and bronze in the 400m hurdles.