“We have decided that I will make the 800m my main event for the next years,” revealed Femke Bol in an urgent presser. Just when the 400m hurdles looked set to crown her as the undisputed queen, Bol drops a bombshell: she’s switching over to the 800m. And with Georgia Bell and Keely Hodgkinson ruling the distance, is this madness, or a masterstroke? According to two of the sport’s biggest stars, Bol may have just made the boldest move of her career.

Before a select group of media, including Citius Mag, the 400m hurdles world champion revealed her plans to tackle the 800m next year, sharing her passion for the event she genuinely loves. “It’s a really nice challenge. I think it’s something that we’ve had in our minds for a long time,” said the athlete. While her decision to shift focus is a personal one, the question remains—will it pay off? The 800m is already stacked with elite talents and fierce competition.

There may be debates about whether it is a good decision or not; however, American Olympic champions Justin Gatlin and Dawn Harper-Nelson believe otherwise. According to them, Femke Bol’s decision to run the 800m next year is a perfect one. “We thought, we felt like it was a battle between her and Sydney, right? Okay. Okay. Oh, who’s it going to be? It’s been Sydney. Sydney. Sydney. When they line up, when Sydney’s not there, Femke is wrecking everything in sight. I mean, everything. I mean, her record for the Netherlands is so low—like, who’s ever going to get it?” said Dawn Harper-Nelson when she was asked about Bol on the Ready Set Go podcast. 

Nelson revealed that Bol mentioned having time to target the LA, hinting she might focus on it for now. However, this doesn’t guarantee her success in the 800m, as Justin Gatlin reminded her she could return to the 400m hurdles after next year, well before the 2027 World Championships. “I was thinking that she’s trying to do 2026 and then jump back in, you know, for the 400 hurdles—maybe 2027, to, you know what I’m saying, protect her title. She’s like, she got some time.”

However, the question remains: will she be able to handle the competition, considering that the 800m is currently twice her usual racing distance? In a revealing insight for the montage, Rodney Green shared a key perspective. He explained that just as moving from the 100m hurdles to the 200m mirrors doubling the distance, the 400m hurdles is, in many ways, equivalent to an 800m flat race. Vague comparison, however, Dawn Harper-Nelson agreed with what Green had to say.

Whatever the case may be, the competition is still fierce. Kenya’s Lilian Odira claimed World Championship gold in Tokyo with a staggering 1:54.62, ranking seventh all-time, while Olympic bronze medalist Keely Hodgkinson edges ahead at sixth with her 1:54.61 from 2024 and finished 2025 as the year’s fastest at 1:54.74. However, that doesn’t mean that Bol is unprepared. She has experience in a 600m solo in 1:23, showing she has the stamina, even if her official 800m best of 2:19.51. Well, she might be certain about her jump, but what does her coach have to say?

Femke Bol’s coach completely supports her in her decision

Femke Bol isn’t the first to leap from the 400m hurdles to the 800m; several athletes have made the switch and thrived. The transition is far from easy, yet history boasts a few standout successes: Lashinda Demus went from a 52.47 hurdles best to 2:07.49 in the 800m, while Russia’s Irina Privalova moved from 53.02 to 2:09.40. In this endeavor, her coach, Laurent Meuwly, is fully on board.

During the same press conference, Meuwly was asked for his opinion on the sudden shift, and he responded, “For me, I’m always thinking a bit ahead and always had this as a possibility. From a coach’s perspective, it’s a really nice challenge. It requires some courage and ambition to go in this direction. But, it’s not a completely crazy decision. As a coach, you’re not bringing an athlete who did everything to win for years in her event to something where the risk would be big to fail.”

He further added, “I can see in training and I can see in her qualities everything to become a successful 800m runner. We’re excited, curious, but we also have a lot of respect for the challenge.” With both the coach and the athlete singing the same tune, we will have to wait and see how she performs. Regardless, what are your thoughts on her decision?