Femke Bol, the Dutch hurdling sensation, will be missing from the starting blocks at the Weltklasse Zurich on September 4, leaving fans disappointed. After a rollercoaster Paris Olympics, where she collected a full set of medals—gold, silver, and bronze—Bol was eager to carry her momentum into the Diamond League circuit. In the absence of the American 400mH phenom Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol has already asserted her dominance in the Lausanne and Silesia Diamond League and was looking to repeat the same in Zurich as well.

In the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21, Bol ran the 400mH in a time of 52.25s, breaking her own meet record from the previous year (52.76). Four days later, that was followed by her stellar run in Silesia where she set a meet record, clocking the 400mH in 52.13 seconds. Afterall, Silesia wasn’t a venue for Diamond League until 2022 and it wasn’t before Aug 25 that Silesia meet hosted it first-ever 400mH event for women. With this, Bol now has as many as nine Diamond League meet records to her name. The victory in Silesia was especially sweet since she defeated Ana Cockrell of the USA, who snubbed her for silver in the Paris Olympics.

Although Bol was happy with her triumph in Lausanne, she was, in fact, looking forward to some much-needed rest before her Zurich outing just six days later. “It’s amazing to run a meeting record here and run 52 seconds again, especially in this beautiful city,” said Bol. “I was less tired than expected, actually. In the past few days I spent 11 hours a day in bed. I am glad that I have some days to rest now before my last race of the season in Zurich.”

Unfortunately, things will not be going according to plans. Confirming her withdrawal, Femke Bol posted on her Instagram story,

“Unfortunately I won’t be running @weltklassezurich like planned. I’ve been sick the last days and I need to give my body some time to recover..” Only after this does she give her followers a timeline of when she might resume competing again. Sadly, we won’t be seeing her again this year. She wrote,

“I’ve got some amaaazing memories and I would’ve loved to make some more this year, but I guess I have to wait till next year. Goodluck to everyone competing there and I hope it will be an amazing night for everyone in the stands.” Considering Bol has an enviable record in Zurich, it certainly looks like a missed opportunity.

It all started in the pandemic-struck year of 2021. Bol pulled off 52.80 in 400mH in the Diamond League final in Zurich to claim her first diamond trophy. The following year was no different. Clocking a time of 53.03s, she defended her diamond trophy in 2022. Interestingly, that success was also followed by her victory at the Lausanne Diamond League that year. With back-to-back victories, it was in Zurich where she solidified her reputation as one of the top hurdlers in the world.

Let us take a look at the previous meet records she has pulled off in Diamond League to date.

• Lausanne Diamond League 2021: 53.05
• Zurich Diamond League 2021: 52.80s
• Oslo Diamond League 2022: 52.61s
• Lusanne Diamond League 2022: 52.95s
• Rome Diamond League 2023: 52.43s
• Oslo Diamond League 2023: 52.30s
• Lausanne Diamond League 2023: 52.76s
• Lausanne Diamond League 2024: 52.25s

However, despite all the success in the Diamond League meets, one formidable wall still stands in front of her.

Is Femke Bol reaping the benefit of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s absence?

With his rise to prominence in the 400mH, Femke Bol has been widely compared to Sydney McLaughlin Levrone. And if we count that factor in, Bol’s achievements might look pale. In all the Diamond League meets that Bol has won, Sydney was absent. In fact the last time Sydney participated in a Diamond League 400mH was in 2019 when Bol was not there. Consider the timing here as well.

When Sydney became the 2019 Diamond League champion in 400mH (her only Diamond League title to date), her timing was 52.23. In the same year, Femke’s best was 55.32. In 2021, while Sydney hit the sub-51 mark, Femke’s best was still 52.03. The following year, Sydney hit the sub-50 time for the first time, while Bol was still stuck at the sub-52 time. It was only this year that Femke touched the sub-50 time, which is still some distance away from Sydney.

To top it off, Femke Bol could never stand Sydney McLaughlin Levrone on some of the topmost stages. In the face-off between the two, Sydney now leads 3-0. Before her latest victory in Paris, she had defeated Bol at the 2021 Olympics and 2022 World Athletics Championships. It could well have been 4-0 had Sydney not missed the 2023 World Championships for a knee injury. There are a few factors that give Sydney such a distinct edge.

Over the years, Sydney and her coach Bobby Kersee have worked on her stride pattern to find the perfect one. Sydney has an incredible ability to use both her legs as the lead leg when she is running. And believe us, she is equally proficient in both. For this, she does not have to worry about which leg will come first when she approaches a hurdle. If this was not enough, she has a sharp mind that runs in superb coordination with her body. Proof, she is also an expert juggler, and who does not know the need for coordination here?

All that being said, one might wonder whether Bol could have gone on dominating the Diamond League meets had Sydney been there. What do you think about this?