Femke Bol Breaks Oldest World Record in Track

Femke Bol, the Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medalist, broke the longest-standing world record in a track race on Sunday. She ran 49.26 seconds at the Dutch indoor championships in Apeldoorn.

What happened?

Femke Bol took down a 41-year-old record in the women’s indoor 400m. The previous record was held by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova with a time of 49.59 from March 1982.

Why it matters for Femke Bol

This achievement is significant for Femke Bol, as she continues to make her mark in the track and field world. She is the third-fastest woman in history in her primary event, the 400m hurdles.

What comes next?

Femke Bol's performance sets a new standard for the women's indoor 400m. The outdoor 400m world record is 47.60, set by German Marita Koch in 1985.

Femke Bol also has the fastest time in history in the 300m hurdles, which is not on the Olympic or world championships program. She ran the fastest time in history in the indoor 500m earlier this indoor season.

The new longest-standing world record is now Kratochvilova’s outdoor 800m world record of 1:53.28 from 1983. Since Kratochvilova set that 800m record, only one woman has come within 96 hundredths of a second of it.

At last year’s worlds, Femke Bol took silver in a race won by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in a world record time. Femke Bol was 1.59 seconds behind.

The only older world record in all of track and field is Czech Helena Fibingerova’s indoor shot put world record of 22.50 meters set in 1977. Femke Bol's record-breaking performance is a testament to her hard work and dedication to the sport.

Femke Bol is 22 years old and has already made a significant impact in the track and field world. Her performance on Sunday will be remembered for years to come.