If Femke Bol’s early-season form is anything to go by, she is well on course for a third successive Wanda Diamond League title in 2023.
The Dutch 400m hurdles star has picked up three wins in the first four meetings of 2023, putting her top of the qualification standings on 24 points and extending her overall winning streak in the 400m hurdles to eight competitions.
Since her Diamond League debut in 2020, Bol has never lost a race in athletics’ premier one-day series, and the two-time Diamond League champion is now fully established as one of the series’ biggest stars. Her victory in Lausanne last Friday was the 16th Diamond League win of her career and one of four meeting records broken on an action-packed night at Athletissima.
Berihu Aregawi, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Beatrice Chepkoech all also broke meeting records in the distance events, but it was Bol’s dominant performance in the hurdles which is the OMEGA Moment of the Meeting in Lausanne.
The Flying Dutchwoman coming in a full two seconds ahead of the rest of the field to clock 52.76 and break the meeting record for the third year in a row at the Stade de la Pontaise. Though the mark wasn’t quite up to the world lead she posted at the Oslo Diamond League last month, Bol said it was a key step as she refines her technique ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest later this summer.
“Today my race plan was to go fast in the first 200 metres, wich I did even though I knew that the last 100 would be painful,” said Bol, who has also been working on a new stride pattern this year. “But it´s good that I challenged myself. I can work on it in my training, so that I will be able to reach my goals in Budapest.”
Bol is set to compete at one last Diamond League meeting in London before she attacks the world title in Hungary later this month. Once back from Budapest, it will be full steam ahead to a potential third Diamond Trophy.
