Dutch sensation Femke Bol made history at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds track meeting in Switzerland, shattering her own European record in the 400m hurdles with a blistering time of 50.95 seconds on Sunday (14). This remarkable performance makes her only the second woman to break the 51-second barrier in the discipline, joining world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA.
Bol’s area new record is also the third-fastest performance of all time, trailing only McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record of 50.65 set at the US Olympic trials in Eugene last month and the American’s previous world record of 50.68 set in 2022.
This achievement marks a significant step forward for Bol, who smashed her previous personal best of 51.45, which she set in London in July last year.
Read more: Record run by Femke Bol in 400m hurdles at Gala dei Castelli
On Sunday, the world champion and Olympic bronze medalist dominated the field, finishing well clear of the second place finisher, Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain,who clocked in at 53.41 and Briton’s Jessie Knight (54.59).
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Fast Short Sprinting Performances
The Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds 2024 track meeting also saw impressive performances in the sprinting disciplines.
South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson, a three-time world U20 medallist, set a meeting record in the 100m with a time of 9.86 seconds (1.9m/s), while flashing under 10 seconds for the first time.
The 20-year-old improved on his previous personal best of 10.08, which he equalled in the heats. Baker Ronnie of USA finished second in 9.95secs, followed by Gambian sprinter Camara Ebrahima, who posted 9.98secs for a PB.
However, Richardson wasn’t able to complete the sprint double today, finishing a close second in the 200m, but breaking another barrier with his first sub-20.00 run, clocking 19.99 seconds (0.8m/s). Zeze Ryan of France was the winner at 19.90secs.
Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, the 2022 world indoor 60m champion, equaled the meeting record in the women’s 100m final with a time of 10.90 seconds (1.4m/s). Her compatriot Salome Kora finished second in 10.95, achieving her first sub-11.00 run, while Jamaica’s Nelson Kemba rounded out the top three with a 11.04 third-place finish.
Elsewhere, Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion, continued her impressive preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics, running a meeting record and season best time of 49.66 seconds to win the women’s 400m.
Henriette Jaeger, 21, took almost a second off her personal best with a time of 49.85.
Anthony Pesela won the men’s 400m in 44.99 seconds, the same time posted by Dutchman Bonevacia Liemarvin.
