24-year-old Femke Bol ran a stunning last lap for a lifetime as the Netherlands mixed team won the 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics beating the USA in a superb show of tenacity and ability to accelerate while keeping momentum and stamina for the final 100-150 metres. It was a redemption for Bol, who had fallen just before the finishing line at the very same race in the World Championships last year.
Bol, running in fourth place, had received the baton 20 metres behind the leading USA team. When Bol started the anchor run, she was on fourth. But the 24-year-old made one of the best recoveries in a relay, especially in such a pressure environment. Bol ran the final lap in just 47.93 seconds to leave USA's Kaylyn Brown behind just before the finishing line.
"I just went for it," Bol said after the stunning victory. "We just wanted a medal this time, we didn't think it would be gold, just a medal.
"Well, we got gold and are the Olympic champions. It is absolutely crazy for a small country like ours," she said after the Netherlands' win.
The Dutch team of Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver, Isaya Klein Ikkink and Bol clocked three minutes 3.07.43 minutes, missing the world record time set by the Americans by just 5ms. The USA took the Silver medal clocking 3.07.74 while the Great Britain held on to the Bronze medal at 3.08.01.
"I hoped to run that fast some time but in the relay you never look too much at split times, it's more about putting it together as a team and technically you have to race it well," Bol added as she completed a magnificent redemption arc.
This is the second time that the mixed relay is taking place after its debut in Tokyo 2020 where Poland won the Gold medal.
(With Reuters inputs)
