This can be a piece that I missed on February 8. Stuart Weir wrote a really good piece on one among our favorites, Femke Bol. Femke ran 1:59.07, then, shut down her indoor season, as she was anxious a couple of small harm. Stuart has written over a million phrases for RunBlogRun, and we treasure every phrase and story, as he builds the storytelling on our sport, to an exquisite pitch!
Superbol Sunday
Femke Bol shocked us all just a few months in the past when she introduced that she was transferring up from 400H to 800m this 12 months. She ran her first 800m final weekend in Metz, France (Feb. 8) profitable in 1:59.07. In response to the European Athletics web site, the efficiency locations her fifth on this 12 months’s world listing and third in Europe – however after all the race was on 8 February and there haven’t been that many races this 12 months! It was a paced race with the pacemaker finishing two laps in 56.66. You may watch the race at https://youtu.be/yAJb9IHCVY8?t=478
Equally you may we certain that she’s going to get higher. Don’t be stunned to see her competing for a medal on the 2026 European Championship and the 2027 World Champs.
Femke is a exceptional athlete and I’ve been privileged to see her run on quite a few events. One of the memorable was the 2022 European Championships in Munich when she received the 400, the 400h and the 4X400 hurdles. Sadly there was no blended 4X400 relay to maintain her totally occupied. She informed me afterwards: “It’s unlikely that I’ll do it once more! It was a very good expertise and I loved it rather a lot. It was an enormous problem and superb that – along with my complete crew – we achieved it. There have been some positives that I didn’t must run relay heats for instance and that the timetable had first 400 after which hurdles. However it was rather a lot, rather a lot for my physique and rather a lot mentally however I actually appreciated it however I feel we see it as a as soon as in a lifetime problem. It was a really exhausting problem, I achieved it and I ought to be joyful and depart it like that!”
She added a piece of because of the crew behind her: “I’m joyful that I’ve good coaches round me to arrange it for me. Final 12 months (2021) I raced rather a lot earlier than the Olympics however this 12 months I’m not doing so many however I belief my coaches and we’ll do no matter they are saying”.
That Femke is a superb athlete, among the best of her technology, is past query. As well as she is such a pleasant particular person. I recall bumping into her in Oregon on the 2022 World Championships on the college campus. We had been entering into the identical route and walked collectively – a completely relaxed dialog. I’ve had many blended zone conversations – all the time in demand however all the time prepared to talk with that capacity to make you are feeling that you’re the one one who’s ever requested her that query.
I had a 1-to-1 interview along with her a few years in the past. Folks like me typically don’t get interviews with folks like her so I requested her why. Her reply was “I’ve seen you a large number. And I do know you now. You’re all the time round and I feel that’s very nice since you perceive the game. You’re a lot into the game. For me it’s additionally good to speak to somebody like that. I feel you requested actually kindly to Caroline (agent) and didn’t push her like ‘we should do it now’ – since you stayed well mannered and affected person”.
An excellent athlete and a stunning particular person.
