For the second time in a row, Femke Bol knew the sure-shot result of her 400m hurdle at the World Athletics Championships even before the pistol was fired. Months ahead of the race at the year’s biggest stage, her rival would swap events to get out of her comfort zone. The same one who had exited the 2023 championships due to an injury. It was a gold finish for the Dutch sprinter then, and a gold finish today. Bol seemed almost uncontested.

Across half a decade, while the 25-year-old set her personal bests and national records in 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone always went one better. Bol lost thrice on the biggest of stages against the world record holder (50.37)– At the Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Eugene World Championships, and the Paris Olympics. It proved to be a rivalry that s

See Full Page