Femke Bol was all fired up. With eyes on the podium and heart beating with the hopes and emotions of her country, the 23-year-old Dutch was on her way to glory.
She was part of the Netherlands’ mixed 4x400 team and was chosen to run the final lap and take them home, on the opening day of the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest. But what makes the track interesting is its unpredictability. When she was just 50m away from the gold, tragedy struck. Femke Bol who was leading the pack fell face down on the track.
Her lead meant she could have gotten up, finished and earned her team a grandstand finish, but the baton slipped from her hand making her unable to finish. It arguably was the darkest moment of an athlete’s career. She did not just let herself down, she let her team and her country down. An emotional blow so hard that it takes experienced athletes years to recover from.
