Brilliant Bol snatches gold in the final metres as GB settle for bronze
Great Britain finish third in the Women’s 4x400 Metres Relay, as Dutch superstar Femke Bol powered her team to victory in Budapest.
Bol lost out on an opportunity to take gold for the Netherlands in the Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay the week prior, dropping the baton just metres from the finish, however she ensured that she was going to leave Hungary with another medal around her neck.
Nielsen, Anning, Pipi and Yeargin set a season best time for GB, a 3:21:04 effort, with Jamaica finishing in 3:20.88 to take home the silver medals.
It was Bol that usurped the pair in the closing moments of the race, however. Cathelijn Peeters handed her the baton over a second behind leading Stacey Ann Williams of Jamaica.
‘The Dutch have got Femke Bol on the anchor leg, you have to still give them a chance of taking the title’.
There was still clear daylight between the Dutch athlete and the pair she was chasing, however she found a second gear, soon reeling in Yeargin. In the closing moments it seemed that Williams was slowing, however all eyes were on the surging Bol.
She timed her sprint finish to perfection, snatching the lead off the weary Williams right as they reached the line.
Bol fell straight to the floor, luckily time after the race was over this time. Her teammates were the first to embrace her, as the group in orange waited for the confirmation of their 0.16 second win on the big screen.
Williams was consoled by teammate McLeod as her other compatriots trudged towards her.
Great Britain make it nine podiums out of the last ten for the 4x400 Metre Women’s. Still searching for that illustrious gold however displaying fantastic consistency. They won in the Heat yesterday, with Laviai Nielsen putting the fastest first stint out of anyone on the board.
The Brits seem to have a team with potential in abundance, however it’s proving a serious challenge to find that extra second they need to land in a gold medal position.
USA were originally the favourites but never got the chance to race for Gold. A break in regulations caused by a baton changeover made outside the designated ‘blue box’ resulted in disqualification during their heat race.
They had also lost the use of their team leader Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, as she pulled out of the championships due to a knee injury.
Team Usa had won a previous seven of eight world titles in the 4x400 Metre Relay, and have been Olympic champions since 1996. They were hoping to be flying another gold back to the States, however those were dashed before even getting a chance.
This is Bol’s second Gold of these games, as she gained her first world title after winning the 400m Hurdles, seeding herself second in the world ranking of track runners globally. She holds multiple world records across 300 Metre Hurdles, 400 Metre Short Track and 500 Metre Long Track.
In a press conference shortly after the event, Bol explained how her mistakes in the prior race were a motivating factor for the win, and the desire to return the favour on for her teammates hard work.
‘I said, ok Fem, you can keep running, you can keep your form well, and yeah it’s amazing’
‘I thought we were running for silver but, you have to keep running until the finish and then anything can happen’
‘Running with the team brings out something amazing in me personally, but also with the rest of the team…. In the Netherlands we get these medals as a team’
There is a real sense of comradery amongst the current Dutch side, no surprise they were named Dutch Team of the Year due to their continuing success. As the standout member, Bol will have her sights set firmly on next year’s European Championships in Rome, acting as a precursor for the Paris Olympics.
The 4x400 Metre is always an extremely hard race to correctly call beforehand. Teams like Canada and Belgium have potential to put together a surprise result.
But as of late, it seems to be the Jamaican, Britian and the Dutch teams left in the wake of the US. A very different race may have unfolded if the Americans weren’t struck with that disqualification following their illegal baton change in yesterday.
Will this prove to be a warning shot by Bol and the Netherlands before next year’s championships, and then Paris 2024?