As the two top runners on the women’s 4x400m anchor leg entered the home straight, it looked like a repeat of last year’s World Athletics Championship mixed relay final might be a possibility.
Alexis Holmes closed in near the corner and was within range of Femke Boll. In the Budapest contest, an American woman won the gold medal as her desperate Dutch rival crashed into a truck just short of the line.
But this time, Bol played it safe.
The 400m hurdles world champion had broken his own indoor world record en route to victory in the flat 400m final the day before. World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24And with the team’s gold medal in mind, she was determined to maintain control.
Bol switched into top gear with 10 meters to go, closing the gap on Holmes by 0.27.
The Dutchman won the world indoor gold medal in 3 minutes 25.07 seconds, equaling the women’s 4x400m gold medal won by Bol’s superb anchor leg, a week after a disappointing mixed relay in Budapest. , which became the world’s top record.
They led from start to finish on Sunday (3rd).
Silver medalist Lieke Claver, who beat Bol’s incredible time of 49.17 seconds in the individual 400m final, built a seven-metre lead in the opening leg, with Katelyn Peters and Lisanne de Witte retaining pole position for the Netherlands. ensured.
Claver’s split of 50.26 points was the fastest. Bol was comfortably slightly slower than Holmes on the final leg.
“I’m very tired,” confessed the double Dutch world indoor gold medalist. “But that’s what championships are like.
“They give me a lot of energy to run, especially when they hand me the baton first. They’re a great team. I can’t let them down.”
Holmes and U.S. teammates Quanella Hayes, Talitha Diggs and Baylee Lea won the silver medal in 3:25.34.
The British quartet, whose twins Laivai and Lina Nielsen competed in the first two legs and were supported by Ama Pipi and Jesse Knight, took bronze with a national record time of 3 minutes 26.36 seconds.
They were followed by Belgium’s Naomi van den Broek, Helena Ponet, Camille Rous and Cynthia Bolingo, who achieved the second national record of the day with a time of 3:28.05.
Ireland was the only other finisher, finishing fifth with a time of 3:28.05. Jamaica, who won ahead of the Netherlands in Belgrade two years ago, were aiming for a medal until Chalokee Young lost the baton in the third race.
An Irish record time of 3:28.45 was set in the morning’s semi-final, courtesy of Phil Healy, Sophie Becker, Roisin Harrison and Charlene Moseley.
Portugal’s quartet, which included Fatoumata Binta Diallo, Karina Vanessa, Katia Azevedo and Bela Barbosa, won with a new national record time of 3:31.93.
world athletics champion simon turnbull
| Women’s 4×400 million medalist | ||
| 🥇 | Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 3:25.07 WL |
| 🥈 | America🇺🇸 | 3:25.34 |
| 🥉 | Great Britain and Northern Ireland 🇬🇧 | 3:26.36NR |
| complete results | ||