Few athletes have been as dominant in the Diamond League as Femke Bol in recent years, yet when the Dutch 400m hurdles star arrived in Lausanne this week, she had a point to prove.
Just a few weeks earlier in Paris, Bol had seen her dreams of Olympic gold dashed as US rival Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once again got the better of her. Despite delivering one of the performances of the Games in the 4x400 mixed relays, Bol was still stinging, and Lausanne was a chance to bounce back.
She did so emphatically, returning to her very best form at the first Wanda Diamond League meeting after the Olympics and leaving a highly competitive field gasping in her wake.
As she crossed the line, the Wanda Diamond League's official timekeeper OMEGA clocked her in at 52.25, a full half a second quicker than the meeting record she had clocked in the same stadium the previous year.
It was the fourth time in a row that Bol had won at the Athletissima meeting, and her third victory on the Diamond League circuit this year. Now on 24 points, she is all but guaranteed qualification for the series final in Brussels and a chance at a fourth straight Diamond League title.
"I´m still in great shape, with no injuries or sickness, which is really positive. The race today was super with a meeting record," said Bol after the race.
