Femke Bol Shines as Netherlands Wins Gold in Mixed 4x400m Relay

Femke Bol was absolutely on fire during the mixed 4×400 meter relay at the Paris Olympics, pulling off a stunning performance that will be remembered for years to come. The tall Dutch athlete took the baton while her team was sitting in fourth place, but she dazzled everyone by sprinting past competitors to snatch victory.

With 32 sprinters from eight different teams competing, Bol’s impressive split time of 47.93 seconds had everyone buzzing. She first chased down Naomi van Den Broeck from Belgium, then Amber Anning of Great Britain, and finally overtook Kaylyn Brown of the United States to lead the Netherlands to gold.

Despite racing under rainy conditions in the Stade de France, Bol didn’t back down. The Dutch team finished with a time of 3:07.43, beating the United States’ 3:07.74. Great Britain also had a reason to celebrate as they smashed their national record, clocking in at 3:08.01.

After her incredible run, Bol expressed her surprise at the outcome, saying, “We just wanted a medal this time, we didn’t think it would be gold, just a medal. Well, we got gold and are the Olympic champions. It is absolutely crazy for a small country like ours.”

Speaking of her final sprint, Bol shared, “I thought ‘just keep going, keep going’. That and my team-mates cheering me. And the atmosphere in this stadium is absolutely incredible. It’s crazy.”

The British team also performed admirably. Sam Reardon kicked things off, followed by Laviai Nielsen who kept them in the hunt on the second leg. Alex Haydock-Wilson ran a strong third leg, leading to Anning delivering a fantastic anchor leg, even though she could not hold off Bol.

Anning was thrilled with their performance, saying, «We have trained so hard for this. To bring away a medal… is just so special.” Fellow teammate Nielsen praised her squad, stating, “With the mixed team, we have about 16 athletes who have come together over the last few years, so we have done a lot of practices together and gelled really well as a whole entire squad.”

Reardon reflected on the electrifying atmosphere, sharing that the energy from the crowd really helped push him through the race. Haydock-Wilson expressed pride in the entire team, saying, «I couldn’t be prouder of this whole squad.»