Femke Bol shatters 400m hurdles European record with 50.95 at Resisprint in La Chaux-de-Fonds
At the 2024 Resisprint athletics meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, world champion Femke Bol recorded the second fastest time ever in the women's 400m hurdles. The 24-year-old Dutch athlete set a new European record with a time of 50.95 seconds. Following Bol, Adekoya Kemi of Burundi took second place with a time of 53.41 seconds, and Jessie Knight from Great Britain finished third, clocking 54.59 seconds.
Bol's remarkable performance of 50.95 seconds comes just two weeks after Sydney McLaughlin set the world record for the 400m hurdles at 50.65 seconds, hinting at a highly anticipated competition in the women's 400m hurdles at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Women's 400m Hurdles Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Result | Pl/Heat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bol Femke | NED | 50.95 | 1./I | MR, |
| 2 | Adekoya Kemi | BRN | 53.41 | 2./I | SB |
| 3 | Knight Jessie | GBR | 54.59 | 1./II | SB |
| 4 | Folorunso Ayomide | ITA | 54.67 | 3./I | |
| 5 | Joseph Rogail | RSA | 55.03 | 2./II | |
| 6 | Giger Yasmin | SUI | 55.31 | 4./I | |
| 7 | Chaboudez Aurelie | FRA | 56.02 | 3./II | SB |
| 8 | Slettum Elisabeth | NOR | 56.33 | 4./II | SB |
| 9 | Lehikoinen Viivi | FIN | 56.48 | 5./I | |
| 10 | Wernli Lena | SUI | 56.73 | 5./II | PB |
| 11 | Stocker Vera | SUI | 58.21 | 1./III | |
| 12 | Rusca Alizée | SUI | 58.57 | 2./III | SB |
| 13 | Schenk Debby | SUI | 59.71 | 3./III | |
| 14 | Keller Manuela | SUI | 60.70 | 4./III | SB |
| 15 | Ingenito Giulia | ITA | 61.32 | 5./III | |
| 16 | Schaden Levia | SUI | 62.16 | 6./III |
In the men's 100m, South Africa's Benjamin Richardson, a three-time world U20 medalist, broke the meeting record with a personal best of 9.86 seconds, also under 1.9 m/s tailwind conditions. This was Richardson's first time running under 10 seconds, improving from his previous best of 10.08 seconds achieved in the heats, where he outpaced competitors Ronnie Baker and Ebrahima Camara.
Richardson also made a mark in the 200m, recording his first sub-20-second finish with a time of 19.99 seconds, just behind France's Ryan Zeze who finished in 19.90 seconds.
In the women's sprint events, Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji, the 2022 world indoor 60m champion, tied the meeting record in the 100m final with a time of 10.90 seconds, narrowly missing her own national record by 0.01 seconds. Salome Kora, also from Switzerland, finished second in 10.95 seconds, achieving her first sub-11-second run. Meanwhile, Jessica-Bianca Wessolly of Germany set a personal best in the 200m with a time of 22.50 seconds.
Dutch athlete Nadine Visser set a new meeting and national record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.36 seconds, aided by a 1.6 m/s tailwind. This performance improved her previous Dutch record of 12.42 seconds, which she set earlier in the heats. Close behind was Poland's Pia Skrzyszowska, who narrowly missed the Polish record by 0.01 seconds, finishing in 12.37 seconds.
