Femke Bol is looking unstoppable at the moment. Over the years, Bol has emerged as a strong contender in the 400m hurdles category. However, trying to take down Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol faltered at the Paris Olympics. But that does not seem to have downed her morale. After all, showing some incredible improvements with her timing, the Dutchwoman is ruling the tracks. 

In a recent turn of events, Femke Bol took part in the Silesia Diamond League. With McLaughlin-Levrone out of the 400m hurdles category for the entire season, this was Bol’s chance to make merry. And she did not disappoint. Running a blitzkrieg timing of 51.91s, Bol took the win at the Silesia Diamond League. And this was quite a statement from the Dutch athlete as this was a world lead timing for Bol. 

While the world lead timing was quite a pleasant surprise, Bol’s victory was not. After all, Silesia is one of her happy hunting grounds. Ever since she has laced up at the venue, Bol has remained undefeated. And her latest race was no exception either. What was even more interesting was the ease with which Bol achieved the victory. 

Her margin with the second and the third placed athletes was huge. Slovak runner Emma Zapletalova came in second with a timing of 53.58s. And in the third position was Jasmine Jones of the USA with a timing of 53.64s. Now then, this was a strong statement made by Femke Bol no doubt. 

And this was not the first time that Bol has clinched a world lead this year. Earlier, running in the Monaco Diamond League, the Dutch athlete made a world leading time of 51.95s to clinch victory. And now that she has bettered her own timing, Bol becomes the first woman in the world to have clocked under the 52-second mark in 2025. However, Bol recently admitted she is disappointed not to face McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400m hurdles at the World Championships.

Femke Bol Laments Missing Showdown With Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Hurdles

Femke Bol is approaching the World Athletics Championships with mixed emotions. While her path to a second world title in the 400m hurdles has arguably become less obstructed, she acknowledges that something essential is missing. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has shifted her focus to the 400m flat, will not be at the starting line against her in Tokyo. For Bol, that absence carries more weight than the increased likelihood of victory.

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, Femke Bol admitted, “Maybe it’s a bit of a disappointment. It’s a shame.” She explained that, as an athlete, she prefers to measure herself against the strongest in her discipline, and that opportunity has rarely arisen.

The American has consistently set the highest standard in the hurdles, and Bol, though often second best in those encounters, regards such contests as defining. “She’s the very best ever in the event I do, so it remains special,” she reflected, suggesting that even in defeat there is meaning to be found.

That attitude reveals the healthy balance of admiration and rivalry between the two. Bol has been denied three times by McLaughlin-Levrone on the sport’s grandest occasions, yet she does not regard those setbacks with bitterness. Rather, she views the prospect of racing without her greatest opponent as diminished. “As a track and field enthusiast, I think it’s great that she’s going to do the 400. But as an athlete, I’d love to run against her,” she noted. It is a remark that underlines her preference for competition at its sharpest edge, even if the result might leave her in second place.