Femke Bol expresses anticipation over running the 400m in front of home crowd at the FBK Games ahead of the Paris Olympics

Femke Bol is headlining the 400m roster at the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour, which will take a stop in Hengelo, Netherlands, this weekend. Hailing from the Netherlands, Bol expressed excitement over competing in front of her home crowd.

Femke Bol won the bronze in the 400m hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, two positions behind the world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin. Her effort broke the European record and earned her the title of the third-fastest in the 400m hurdles. She shined at the 2023 World Championships by winning the 400m hurdles and anchoring the 4x400m relay team to the coveted gold.

Femke Bol also unfurled her prowess in the 400m flat at the 2024 World Indoor Championships. Her time of 49.17 set the short-track world record in the same. Aiming to lower her world record time, Bol geared up to compete at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games (World Athletics Continental Tour Gold), scheduled for July 7, 2024, in Hengelo, Netherlands.

In her Instagram story, the 24-year-old Dutch athlete expressed excitement about her first outdoor 400m of the season in front of her home crowd. The caption read:

"Excited to be racing the 400m tomorrow in front of a home crowd."

Femke Bol; Instagram - @femke_bol

After Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Femke Bol has also scratched the 400m flat at the Paris Olympics. She will focus solely on the 400m hurdles and run the other races to improve her speed, as the ten-time European Champion confirmed (via World Athletics)

Femke Bol set the 400m indoor world record at the Dutch National Championships

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Bol recently added another world record to her repertoire by running the 400m in 49.24s at the 2024 Dutch National Championships. She lowered two-hundredths of a second to break the record she set in 2023.

Her previous record smashed the 40-year-old long-standing record of Jarmila Kratochvilova, who ran in 49.59s in 1982. On her stellar achievement, Bol couldn't contain her excitement after having run in front of her home crowd.

"It's a dream come true to run another world record and it's wonderful to have all these Dutch fans enjoying the most beautiful sport in the world," she said. (via Associated Press)

At the 2024 World Relays, Bol ran the anchor leg of the 4x400m mixed relay and earned the Paris Olympic spot in the same. The team's time of 3:12.16 broke the championship record as well.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Bol will look to face her arch-rival Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who she hasn't faced since 2022. The women's 400 hurdles Round 1 is scheduled for August 4, 2024.