Femke Bol returned to the spotlight at the FBK Games in Hengelo with plenty of momentum. Her season opener in Rabat had been her fastest ever, and expectations were soaring. The home crowd was behind her, and the anticipation was that Bol would edge closer to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s blazing season-best time. But when the clock stopped, the numbers told a different story. And a familiar one at that.

Though Bol delivered another impressive win, her time of 52.51 seconds fell short of her Rabat opener of 52.46 and was well behind McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.07. For a race so close to home and coming off a high from Morocco’s training camp, it felt like a missed opportunity. The gap that Bol had hoped to close with her biggest rival not only remained, but it widened.

This marks yet another time this season that Bol has been outpaced by McLaughlin-Levrone, even when not racing head-to-head. The American star’s shift toward experimenting with the flat 400m hasn’t slowed her dominance in the 400m hurdles. With the season heating up, McLaughlin-Levrone remains the only woman to have broken the 52.10 barrier this year, while Bol now owns the second and third fastest times. Both are still trailing.

For Bol, this is more than just a battle of times. She’s chasing history and attempting to dethrone the reigning queen of the event. But with each meeting, McLaughlin-Levrone’s grip tightens. Bol’s recent tweaks, like a revamped block-start technique and strategic training alongside top Dutch athletes, suggest she’s pushing for that breakthrough moment. Yet, the margin she’s trying to close continues to define the rivalry.

The storyline is compelling. Two of the greatest 400m hurdlers of their generation are trading blows without sharing the same track. But as of now, Bol remains a step behind. And unless she can find a way to shatter the 52-second mark, McLaughlin-Levrone’s shadow will continue to loom large over her season. Looking back at their history, it is quite clear that Femke Bol has always been a bit behind in terms of speed. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s unshakable grip on Femke Bol

The hurdles have changed cities, but the story hasn’t. As Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol prepare to clash for the third time at the Paris Olympics, the scoreboard tells a tale of pure dominance. McLaughlin-Levrone hasn’t just beaten Bol. She’s rewritten what’s possible in the 400m hurdles, race after race, with Bol consistently watching from behind.

Their rivalry has never been a close one. In Tokyo, McLaughlin-Levrone dropped a thunderous 51.46, a time so sharp it sliced nearly half a second off her own world record. Bol, despite clocking a brilliant 52.03, her lifetime best, could only manage bronze. Then came Eugene in 2022, where McLaughlin-Levrone turned the track into a personal showcase.

The time: 50.68. The reaction: stunned silence. “Honestly, I just wanted to go out there and attack the whole thing,” she said post-race. Bol, again with the second-best time in the world that season, stood on the podium once more, still nearly two seconds adrift. And just when it seemed McLaughlin-Levrone might plateau, she struck again at the 2024 U.S. Trials: 50.65, yet another world record.

Bol, meanwhile, continues to win everything McLaughlin-Levrone skips, but in every head-to-head, the script repeats. “She’s just on another level,” Bol admitted after Eugene. Paris promises a fresh venue, but unless something seismic shifts, it could be the same old result. McLaughlin-Levrone out front, Bol chasing brilliance she still hasn’t caught.