The current World 400-meter hurdles champion, Femke Bol, made a grand entrance at the Metz Moselle Athleor to start her 2024 campaign.
She broke the 50-second barrier and set a new record in the 400 meters in 49.69, the sixth fastest time in history, during her season debut.
Bol won handily by nearly two seconds with a performance that was only 0.43 seconds slower than her own world indoor record. Andrea Miklos of Romania finished in second place with a timing of 51.41. Bol’s incredible run sets the stage for an exciting new season.
Bol broke record
Rebounding after just one hour, Bol broke her own 200-meter personal best with a scorching 22.64 Dutch indoor record. In both the 400m (51.33) and 200m (22.81), her training companion Lieke Klaver, dominated.
In addition to the Dutch triumph, Nadine Visser won the 60-meter hurdles in a time that was the second-best in her career, 7.80. Dutch athletes had a day filled with victories as they demonstrated their extraordinary talent and broke numerous records.
Hirut Meshesha, an Ethiopian phenomenon and bronze winner in the world indoor 1500m, had a stunning debut in the 3000m, setting a world record with a time of 8:28.46 to take 13th place on the global indoor all-time list. She was unbeaten by Sarah Healy, who set an Irish record of 8:36.06, and she dominated the women’s field.
In 7:38.41, Yann Schrub, the men’s winner, defeated Pietro Arese of Italy by a mere 0.01 of a second. Meshesha’s outstanding debut and Schrub’s victory in the photo finish have left a lasting impression on the history of indoor athletics, capturing onlookers with their outstanding feats.
The current world champion from Uganda, Halimah Nakaayi, began her indoor campaign with an incredible performance, setting a new world record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:59.15. In other competitions, Alexander Doom of Belgium won the 400 meters in a time of 45.89, and Chris Nilsen soared to victory in the pole vault, clearing 5.82 meters.
Cover Photo: IG