With Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shifting her focus to the 400m flat, the 400m hurdles event was expected to be ruled by Femke Bol. However, things have taken an unexpected turn. Because the Dutch star herself is stepping away from the hurdles. In a surprising revelation, Bol confessed her plans to debut in the 800m next year, saying, “We have decided that I will make the 800m my main event for the next years.” A carefully weighed decision. But Bol now faces two major challenges.

In front of a small group of media representatives, including Citius Mag, the 400m hurdles world champion announced her decision to step into the 800m next year, expressing her desire to shift focus from the hurdles to the event she truly loves. “It’s a really nice challenge. I think it’s something that we’ve had in our minds for a long time. For me, it was after Paris that it came to our mind that I’m now 25 and I want to achieve more in track and field. The 400m hurdles have evolved me so much. It’s really made me the athlete I am today. It also gave me the confidence to dare to make this step. The 800m has always been an event I love to watch,” said Femke Bol.

However, two major challenges await her as she steps into the 800m arena. First, the event is already stacked with elite talents and fierce competition. With stars like Georgia Bell and Keely Hodgkinson dominating the distance, maintaining a usual dominance (like Bol did in 400m hurdles) won’t be easy.

The competition, however, is fierce. Kenya’s Lilian Odira stormed to World Championship gold in Tokyo with a record 1:54.62, ranking No. 7 all-time. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, who took bronze, sits just ahead at No. 6 with her 1:54.61 from 2024 and closed out 2025 as the year’s fastest at 1:54.74. While that might sound daunting, Bol isn’t stepping in unprepared. She’s got valuable experience under her belt; her longest training interval is a 600m indoor sprint, clocked at an impressive 1:23 solo effort. Her official 800m best, though, dates back to 2017, when she ran 2:19.51 indoors.

The second issue – The absence of relays in 800-meter races. Bol has long been one of the Netherlands’ most dependable 4x400m relay anchors, collecting 2 Olympic medals in the discipline (Gold in 4x400m mixed, Silver in 4x400m women’s relay). Her future participation in relays will now depend on the championship schedule. “The relay is really important to me and I also get a lot of joy out of it. It’s a point of pride to run for your country and run with the girls or with the guys on the mixed relay and try our best. We really established ourselves on the podium as a relay country. Whenever the schedule allows, I would like to run it,” said the athlete.

Her decision seems well thought-out, given that she has already conquered nearly everything there is in the 400m hurdles. As of now, she stands as the second-greatest athlete in 400mhurdles history, trailing only the two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. With two Olympic bronze medals in 400m hurdles (2021 & 2024), two World Championship titles (2023 & 2025), and two European golds (2022 & 2024), her résumé speaks volumes.

While the athlete is almost certain to make her presence felt in the 800m starting next year, Bol’s coaches also share an optimistic take on her decision.

“I’m always thinking a bit ahead,” said Femke Bol’s coach on her 800m decision

When it comes to transitioning from a notable 400m hurdles career to the 800m, the most successful examples are 2012 Olympic gold medalist Lashinda Demus, who ran 52.47 in the hurdles before recording 2:07.49 in the 800m, and Russia’s Irina Privalova, who posted 53.02 at the 2000 Olympics and later ran 2:09.40. Femke Bol’s arch-rival, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, has already made her mark in the 400m, and now it’s time for Bol to take on her next challenge. In this endeavor, her coach, Laurent Meuwly, is fully on board.

While in the same press conference, Meuwly was asked about his opinion on the sudden shift, to which he said, “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.” Femke Bol and her coach are certainly ready to face new challenges; however, will they be able to tackle the demands of the 800m? Only time will tell.