Dutch chase down U.S. on track to win relay gold
SAINT-DENIS, France — Forget about mixed relay. This was a one-woman show.
When Dutch sprinter Femke Bol entered the final turn of the 4×400-meter mixed relay in fourth position under a downpour, a medal — let alone a victory — seemed like a difficult proposition for her orange-clad team.
That’s when Bol accelerated into another gear and proceeded to reel in the three women ahead of her.
“I keep telling people it’s just two words: It’s ‘Femke Bol,'” said Dutch leadoff man Eugene Omalla. “She’s just special. She’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent.”
Bol, whose best race is the 400 hurdles, ran the anchor lap in 47.93 seconds, and the Netherlands team of Omalla, Lieke Klaver, Isaya Klein Ikkink and Bol won the race at the Paris Olympics on Saturday in 3 minutes, 7.43 seconds — 0.31 clear of the United States.
Bol pulled a similar surprise last year at world championships in the women’s 4×400, rallying from well behind late to earn a gold medal. That came after she tripped and fell in the home stretch of the mixed relay, where she was making up ground on the U.S.
“Just keep going — keep going,” Bol said of her mindset. “I channeled my angerness from Budapest back and I saw my teammates already cheering on me coming back.”
The Americans put the same team out Saturday as they had the day before, when they set the world record at 3:07.41.
The Americans were tied for the lead with Belgium when Bryce Deadmon handed off to Kaylyn Brown for the anchor lap. But Brown could not hold off Bol, who has the sixth-fastest time in the world this year in the 400 flat.
One by one, Bol passed the Belgian, British and American runners who were ahead of her.
“Whether somebody is in front of me or behind me, I don’t feel nobody,” Brown said. “I just keep pushing.”
Bol passed Brown with about 10 meters to go.
When it was over, Bol covered her mouth in disbelief, and her teammates shook their heads in amazement.
“I just went for it,” Bol said. “We just wanted a medal this time. We didn’t want a time. … We just wanted a medal. And, well, we got gold, so we’re Olympic champions. It’s absolutely crazy for a small country like us.”
Bol will be back on the track Sunday for the opening round of the women’s 400 hurdles, an event where she’s expected to challenge world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Bol won bronze in the 400 hurdles in Tokyo, but this was the first Olympic gold of her career.
