Femke Bol predicts ‘nice battle’ with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Paris Olympics (2024)

ROME – Femke Bol, fresh from two golds and a bronze at June’s European championships, admits she is looking forward to what she says will be a “nice battle” with American arch-rival Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Paris Olympics.

Bol was one of the stars of the championships in Rome, dominating her speciality event, the 400m hurdles, and going on to anchor the women’s 4x400m relay team to victory, while also picking up third place in the mixed relay.

The Dutchwoman won Olympic 400m hurdles bronze in the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, when McLaughlin-Levrone claimed gold in a then-world record of 51.46 seconds.

The American bettered that in June 2022 at the US trials in Eugene by 0.05sec before taking it down to 50.68sec when winning gold at the world championships on the same track later that year.

She missed the 2023 world championships through injury and Bol won.

“I hope it’s going to be a nice battle,” Bol said. “I will try to be at my best form I can be and then we will see where it will bring us.”

Many track fans believe the duo’s clash will be one of the main attractions of the Paris athletic schedule.

“I hope so. That would be great,” Bol said.

Bol, like McLaughlin-Levrone, is also a talented performer over 400m flat.

At the European championships in Munich in 2022, Bol won gold in that event as well as the hurdles and in March set a new world record in winning world indoor gold over 400m in Glasgow.

But the 24-year-old will not be running the 400m flat in Paris: “Only the hurdles and the relay.”

While Bol was in action in Rome, McLaughlin-Levrone showcased her versatility in New York by setting a world-leading time of 48.75sec over the 400m on June 9.

Before that, she set a then world-leading 52.70sec in her first 400m hurdles race for nearly two years in Atlanta on May 31. Bol lowered that to 52.49sec when winning in Rome.

McLaughlin-Levrone may not have run her signature event since August 2022, but there were no signs of rust. It sets up the 400m hurdles battle in Paris very nicely.

“It’s great she’s there and it will always be exciting and always bring some nice nerves,” said Bol of her 24-year-old opponent.

“But at the same time, I’m really focused on myself. I’m always just trying to be a better athlete and then I just hope it will bring something nice to be battling with her.”

Bol said Rome had been a useful stepping stone towards the Olympics.

“It’s very important. I mean, a European championships is a European championships, it’s always big,” she said.

“It’s always something extra when you race on a big tournament, and it’s only my second 400 hurdles race of the season.”

Bol said she appreciated the adrenaline rush and the time that she and her coach will now have to examine technique and strategy “to put some more pieces of the puzzle together”.

Bol let slip one of her race tactics.

“For me, I visualise I’m running towards someone. It always helps me a lot, but when you have a loud atmosphere like here in Rome, it also helps a lot.”

Fans will wait to see whether Bol, come Paris, will need to visualise a person at the end of the home straight or will the shadow of her nemesis prove enough incentive.

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon said she is looking forward to a bright summer in Paris, after winning the 1,500m and 5,000m at the Kenyan Olympic trials in Nairobi.

Despite not competing since last September, the 30-year-old secured her Paris ticket in both distances with a season’s best performance.

A day after winning the 5,000m in 14min 46.28sec, the Rio and Tokyo Games 1,500m champion demonstrated her mastery of the distance on June 15, setting the track ablaze in 3:53.98.

“I wanted to run 3:55, but it was surprisingly 3:53. I’m excited to be back on the track and executing this way,” said Kipyegon, who also holds the 1,500m world record.
AFP, REUTERS