Superb Bol strikes double gold after anchoring Dutch team to relay title
Sports
Bol produced an astonishing anchor leg for the Netherlands in the women's 4x400m relay.
BUDAPEST (AFP) – Femke Bol produced an astonishing anchor leg for the Netherlands in the women's 4x400m relay on Sunday to claim her second gold medal of the World Athletics Championships. in Budapest.
Bol began the championships in disastrous fashion by falling and dropping the baton as she closed in on the line in the 4x400m mixed relay.
She went on to totally dominate the 400m hurdles event, easily taking gold.
On Sunday, in the final event of these championships and her seventh time on the track, Bol took the baton well down in third place for the fourth and final lap and gradually made up ground on Jamaica's Stacey Ann Williams and Britain's Nicole Yeargin.
Entering the home straight, the crowd rose to their feet as Bol accelerated past Yeargin and in a dramatic finish pipped Williams to the line.
She literally staggered from there into the arms of her three relay teammates, collapsing to the track after her breathtaking effort.
"The first three legs went so well, I felt like I had to finish as strongly as I could!" said Bol.
"I wanted to stay patient, but in the last metres I said 'No, we have to take it'. It was one of my most important runs ever, but it is the first time we became world champions so it applies for all of us.
"Every tenth and hundredth of a second was needed. We had good exchanges and still barely won it."
The Dutch team, also comprising Eveline Saalberg, Lieke Klaver and Cathelijn Peeters, took gold in 3min 20.72sec, with Jamaica claiming silver in 3:20.88 and Britain rounding out the podium in 3:21.04.
Third-leg runner Peeters said she had been ready to accept that the Dutch team would finish in third spot.
"To be honest, I was already happy with a bronze medal, then I realised we might win a silver, and was shocked at the end with the gold!" Peeters said.
