Femke Bol was touted as the next big thing in the 400mH. Coming to Paris, Bol was in red-hot form, winning almost all the Diamond League meets. Unfortunately, when the ultimate showdown occurred between the Dutch athlete and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, things turned out to be quite harsh for Bol. Trying to dethrone the US champion from her throne, Bol clocked 52.15s. While it might seem like commendable timing, McLaughlin-Levrone looked way ahead of the game. 

McLaughlin-Levrone went on to make a world record, running an incredible 50.37s to clinch the gold. Surprisingly, Femke Bol’s timing was also slower than the second-placed A. Cockrell, who clocked at 51.87s. Although Bol came back strongly to win the Diamond League meet post-Paris, she still seems to be reeling from her loss against the queen. Trying to move on with the setback, it looks like Bol has a different opposition in mind now.

Femke Bol to switch categories? 

Ahead of the Brussels Diamond League final, Bol will once again be aiming to establish her dominance at the preceding matches. After missing out in Zurich, Bol mentioned that she was ready to rumble at the Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels. However, despite her arch-rival running, McLaughlin-Levrone will not feature in the main races. In a surprising turn of events, ahead of the big event, Bol interacted with the media, where she hinted at a possible switch in category along with a new rival in mind. 

Femke Bol, addressing Keely Hodgkinson, expressed her wishes to try the 600m discipline. Reflecting on the same, Bol said, “I would actually love to run with Keely Hodgkinson at 600. We’re good friends, but it’s a bit far, so I have to think it through really well.” Well, for starters, Hodgkinson is an Olympic gold medalist. Competing in Paris, Hodgkinson won her maiden 800m gold medal, clocking 1:56.72s to establish herself as one of the mainstays of the category.

The British athlete also has a number of shining accolades to her name apart from the Olympic gold. She has won two gold medals each in the European Championships and the European Indoor Championships, competing in the 800m category. Dominating proceedings in the world, Hodgkinson missed out on World Championship gold narrowly as she settled for the silver medal twice in 2022 and 2023. 

Thus, with a daunting CV to show off, it seems like Femke Bol’s latest opponent can give her quite the run for her money. However, while the faceoff at 600m might still be a long way to go, her rivalry with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will continue. And Bol will surely aim to better her record, which, at the moment, looks a little off. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone enjoys a healthy advantage over Femke Bol

Femke Bol has undoubtedly emerged as the arch-rival for the undisputed queen of hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. And there are enough reasons that have given Bol the status of being a force to be reckoned with against world record holder McLaughlin-Levrone. The Dutch athlete made headlines again after securing the highest pedestal in the Lausanne Diamond League a few weeks ago (400mH, 52.25s), right after being having a close call with the top place in the Paris Olympics. However, this did not come as a surprise to many given the track records of Bol in Diamond Leagues.

Comparing the count of 400mH wins between Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Diamond Leagues, Bol would reign supreme with 3 golds vs. McLaughlin-Levrone’s 1 from 2019. However, there’s one factor that played in the hands of Bol and made the wins comparatively easier for the Dutch athlete. McLaughlin-Levrone generally takes a break after a major track event, and after Paris, Sydney did not participate in Lausanne. 

While Femke now has comparatively more Diamond League medals, her win record against Sydney still stands at zero, and now as they both buckle up to face each other in Brussels, fans are anticipating a showdown that would leave them on the edge of their seats.