Dutchwoman Femke Bol takes long-awaited world gold in 400 hurdles

BUDAPEST – Femke Bol’s perseverance paid off as she struck gold in the 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Thursday, when there was also an unexpected Jamaican double gold rush.

The Dutchwoman made up for the disappointment of falling with the line at her mercy in the mixed 4x400m relay by producing a totally dominant victory in the hurdles in 51.70 seconds.

“It wasn’t easy to forget what happened in the final metres of the mixed relay but my team was around me and they put me at my ease,” said the 23-year-old, who covered her eyes in disbelief after crossing the line.

“I knew that 400m hurdles would be a chance to show up and I was confident.

“I took the first few hurdles fast and then I think I have just had the best first 200 metres ever. Then I just needed to finish the race which I could do easily.”

In the absence of defending world and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, American Shamier Little claimed silver, more than one second behind Bol, while Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton rounded out the podium.

Bol, second at the 2022 worlds and third at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, was level with Little until just before the home straight but pulled away emphatically to cross the line.

It was a hugely satisfying win for her after being in tears following her fall when racing for gold in the relay on the opening night of the championships.

Clayton’s bronze was one of five medals Jamaica won out of a potential 15 on offer in the evening session of day six of action at the National Athletics Centre.

Two of those were surprise golds.

First, Danielle Williams shocked the field to reclaim her world 100m hurdles crown after previously winning the title in Beijing in 2015.

She won in 12.43sec, pipping Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn to the title by 0.01sec, with American Kendra Harrison a further 0.02sec behind.

Williams, 30, said this victory “took a lot of hard work, a lot of years of toil and injuries, and losing my confidence and battling to get back to this stage”.

Then came Antonio Watson, who also upset a loaded field including South African world record holder Wayde van Niekerk to win gold in the men’s 400m.

The 21-year-old expressed delight with his victory, adding: “I did not have any secrets... I just came and ran my own race... it is amazing to win the gold medal at my first world senior championships.”

In other events, newly crowned 100m champions Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson both reached their respective 200m finals.

Lyles’ semi-final had to be rescheduled after the golf buggy he was travelling in with his rivals to the track had a collision with another one, leaving Jamaican Andrew Hudson with glass in his eye.

“They got most of the glass out. Now I’ve got to go back and have it looked at. My eye is pretty blurry right now,” Hudson said.

He was handed a spot in the 200m final despite finishing the semi out of the running for a top-eight spot. The track has nine lanes so it can accommodate an extra athlete.

The incident did not deflect Lyles in his bid for a first sprint double by a male athlete since Usain Bolt in 2015, clocking an impressive 19.76sec.

Lyles is the two-time defending world champion over 200m and has said he is eyeing Bolt’s world record of 19.19sec set at the 2009 Berlin World Championships.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll get close to it,” he said. “Today I ran 19.7 and wasn’t even really trying.”

Richardson was equally at ease, albeit finishing second (22.20) to defending world champion Shericka Jackson in her heat as all the favourites advanced. AFP, REUTERS