Dutch 400m hurdles star Femke Bol will return to the scene of one of her greatest performances when she lines up at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London later this year, while British star Keely Hodgkinson is also hoping to delight the home crowd in the capital on July 20th.
Bol raced to a breathtaking 51.45 in the 400m hurdles at the London Stadium last year, clocking the third-fastest time ever and setting a new European and Diamond League record in the process.
The Flying Dutchwoman has dominated the hurdles in the Diamond League since 2020, and will be aiming for a fourth successive title in 2024. She heads to London on the eve of the Olympic Games in Paris, where she will aim to improve on the bronze medal she won in Tokyo in 2021.
Bol went on to win double silver at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon (400mH and 4x400m mixed relay) followed by a hat-trick of gold medals at the European Championships (400m, 400mH and 4x400m relay). She improved further in 2023, winning double gold in the 400m hurdles and women’s 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and being crowned Diamond League champion for the third successive year.
Concluding an exceptional winter, she lowered her own world indoor record to take the global 400m title in Glasgow in March 2024 (49.17) - redemption for silver in Belgrade two years earlier - in addition to setting a new national record as part of the Dutch gold medal-winning 4x400m relay quartet.
“I have amazing memories of racing in London last year and I can’t wait to go back,” said Bol who is aiming to defend her European 400mH title in June before she targets her first Olympic gold. “That race meant so much to me and it really gave me confidence ahead of the World Championships. I’d been wanting to run a 51-second race ever since Tokyo (where she ran 52.03) and the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible, it really drove me on to achieve that. I hope I can experience that magical feeling again this year and use it as a springboard for success at the Olympic Games.”
Bol will be joined in London by British star Keely Hodgkinson, who is also a reigning Wanda Diamond League champion after she secured her second series title in Eugene last season.
Hodgkinson finished second behind Athing Mu with a British record of 1:55.19 at last year's final, but claimed the trophy as Mu had only been competing on a national wild card. It was the British star's second career Diamond Trophy after she stormed to the 800m title at the age of just 19 in 2021.
Now 22, Hodgkinson will make her long-awaited debut at the London Stadium in July, after she was forced to pull out of last year's Wanda Diamond League meeting at the last minute due to illness.
“Ever since I was a little girl I’ve dreamt of racing in the ‘Olympic’ stadium. I was so disappointed to miss out on competing in London last year after I fell ill in warm up, but that makes this year extra special,” said the 2023 Wanda Diamond League champion. “As an athlete one of the hardest things to do is to say ‘no’ or to pass up an opportunity. For me, I always want to push on. This year I chose not to do an indoor season and instead had a longer period of training out in South Africa over the winter. That was a tough decision for me, but it was about laying the foundations to perform at my best this summer. The goal is Paris and everything I do between now and then, including lining up at the London Athletics Meet, is focused on winning Olympic gold.”
The Wanda Diamond League is the premier one-day meeting series in athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field. Athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on 13th-14th September.
