Femke Bol to switch from 400m hurdles to 800m – Athletics Weekly

In a major career change, the Dutch athlete will move to the two-lap event on a permanent basis from next season.

Femke Bol has announced she is switching from the 400m hurdles to the 800m and will start competing in her new discipline next year.

The two-time world 400m hurdles champion, who secured two Olympic bronze medals over the distance, made the decision in conjunction with her coach Laurent Meuwly.

The pair believe it will be a significant challenge but that competing at the highest level is more than possible for the 25-year-old over two laps.

“The 400m hurdles provided me with unforgettable moments and shaped me into the athlete I am today,” says Bol. “But I want to challenge myself again and push my boundaries. The 800m is new and unfamiliar territory, and that’s precisely what makes it so interesting.

“The training approach will be different from what I’m used to and it will require a lot of perseverance to develop at this distance and achieve my goal – competing at the highest level.”

Meuwly, who has coached Bol to the top of the world 400m hurdles podium on two occasions, believes she can excel in the 800m over time.

“Femke has always thrived on challenges,” he adds. “With her running technique, strength, and personality, we’re convinced she’ll master this distance and ultimately make a difference internationally. The transition to the 800m is a significant step in her career, one that demonstrates courage and ambition.”

In an interview with AW back in 2023, Meuwly had already expressed his view that his star athlete had real potential over the two-lap event, citing a world indoor best of 1:05.63 for 500m in February of that year as evidence of her endurance prowess.

“I think she’s also able to perform over 800m,” he said of the indoor 400m world record-holder. “She showed in Boston that she has this efficiency, and she’s pretty good in all the endurance sessions because of it. I can imagine [the 800m] might also be an option.”

That has proved to be the case and Bol leaves the 400m hurdles having arguably been a part of the greatest era in the event’s history. Her personal best of 50.95 puts the Dutch athlete second on the all-time list, only behind world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (50.37).

Between them, the pair hold the nine fastest times in history and have shared the last five global 400m hurdles titles on offer, dating back to the Tokyo Olympics.

On a European level, Bol won 400m hurdles titles in 2022 and 2024, completing a 400m, 400m hurdles and 4x400m golden treble in Munich three years ago. She is also the reigning world and European 400m champion indoors and a five-time Diamond League champion over the 400m hurdles.

When it comes to the 800m, her last registered time at the distance is 2:19.51 from 2017. The Dutch national record is 1:55.54, set by Ellen van Langen when she won gold at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics.