PARIS, Aug 4 – Femke Bol ran a sizzling final leg as the Netherlands clinched gold in the 4x400m mixed relay at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Bol clocked 47.93 seconds to overtake American Kaylyn Brown in the last 20m at the Stade de France, Xinhua reported.
The Netherlands finished in three minutes 7.43 seconds, 0.31 seconds ahead of the United States. Britain took bronze in 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,” a jubilant Bol said after the race.
“I just went for it. 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.”
Bol, who took the baton with her team in fourth place, said the memory of her fall just before the finish line at the 2023 world championships gave her added motivation.
“I was thinking: ‘Just keep going, keep going’,” she said.
“And the atmosphere in this stadium is absolutely incredible. It’s crazy.”
