24-year-old Dutch track star Femke Bol has already won four Olympic medals (including one gold), four gold medals at the World Championships, and nine gold medals at the European and European Indoor Championships. But it seems Bol’s winning streak isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Recently, she created quite a buzz with a new announcement ahead of the 2024 Brussels Diamond League Final, which will take place on September 13 and 14. This marks the final stop in the 15-event Diamond League series, which began in Xiamen in April.

Femke Bol recently talked about her illness, but it seems that’s not stopping her from conquering tracks. Bol has hinted at her readiness for the Brussels Diamond League Final, her final race of the year, by dropping an Instagram story. “Last race this Saturday at the Diamond League final,” she excitedly shared. She also confirmed the date, “Saturday, 14th September,” and tagged other athletes in the story, fueling anticipation for what’s shaping up to be an exciting finale. However, her biggest rival and hurdle (pun intended!), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, will be noticeably absent.

But before we get to that, Bol fans seem to be on Cloud nine. Especially after her absence from the Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League on September 4 due to an undisclosed illness. After a thrilling Paris Olympics, Bol was eager to continue her streak. Having already dominated the Lausanne and Silesia Diamond Leagues in the absence of American 400mH phenom McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol was poised for another show-stopping performance in Zurich. However, her withdrawal came as a surprise, putting a halt to what was shaping up to be a remarkable season.

Bol’s performances had fans buzzing as she broke her own meet records in both Lausanne and Silesia, with 52.25 and 52.13s respectively, adding to her growing list of accomplishments. But her illness forced her to step back, explaining that she needed time to recover. Considering her back-to-back Diamond League titles in Zurich, her absence felt like a missed opportunity for yet another standout performance. Adding to the disappointment, her rival was expected to compete as well, but the race became entangled in an unfortunate controversy that overshadowed the event.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s bad luck

Despite receiving a wildcard invitation for the Memorial Van Damme, the Brussels Diamond League meet, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will not compete in the 200m-400m double as planned. The Diamond League series announced that McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, did not meet the eligibility requirements for a “Global Wild Card” under the series rules.

According to Series CEO Petr Stastny, “It is not about allowing a specific athlete to compete or not. It is about rules and criteria which must be fulfilled by all to [become] eligible to compete at the [Diamond League] Final.”

To qualify for the Diamond League Final, athletes must place in the top eight of the season qualification standings. While Global Wild Cards can be issued, they require athletes to participate in at least one Diamond League meet during the season, which McLaughlin-Levrone has not done since 2023 in Paris where she finished second to Dominican athlete Marileidy Paulino. Despite the fact that she could still run in Brussels in another meeting, not DSL, the planned double was one of the main goals for her in the post-Olympic season, including her latest PBs in 400m and 200m.

With that being said, are you looking forward to watching the interesting match between Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone?