Athletics: Femke Bol breaks 41-year-old world women's indoor 400m record

Femke Bol bettered the 49.59sec of Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova in March 1982. PHOTO: AFP

PARIS – Dutch runner Femke Bol set a world record in the women’s indoor 400m on Sunday after clocking 49.26sec, which broke the old mark set 41 years ago.

The 22-year-old, competing at the Dutch national championships in Apeldoorn, bettered the 49.59sec of Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova in March 1982.

NBC Sports said it had been the longest-standing world record in a track race that is on an Olympic, world outdoor or indoor championships programme.

Bol, a world and Olympic 400m hurdles medallist, had also set a world best of 36.86sec in the rarely run 300m hurdles in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in 2022.

“It was because of all the fans here that I ran this record,” Bol said after her race at the Omnisport arena.

“Never have I ever seen that many people here. When I crossed the line, I knew that the record was mine, because of the noise that the crowd made.”

Bol had dipped under 50 seconds for the first time indoors with 49.96 in Metz, France, on Feb 11. On Sunday, she took 0.7sec off that mark.

She told Dutch media: “I was hoping for a 49.5 here, but 49.26. I really have no words for this. It is my first world record at a real distance. Could it be even faster? This was almost a perfect race.”

She got a typical strong start and went through 200m in 23.63sec before surging over the finish line while chased by fellow countrywoman Lieke Klaver, 24, who was second in 50.34.

Bol had given an indication of her impressive form two weeks ago when she clocked the fastest women’s indoor 500m ever in 1min 05.63sec at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix.

She became the first woman to break 1:06 at the distance, eclipsing the previous world best of 1:06.31 set by Russian Olesya Krasnomovets-Forsheva in January 2006.

Bol won European titles in the 400m hurdles, 400m flat and 4x400m relay in 2022.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist also bagged a 400m hurdles silver at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.

She was sandwiched between world record holder Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad, both of whom had finished ahead of her in Tokyo. AFP, REUTERS

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