What we can expect from Femke Bol in 2025: "I prefer to let my legs do the talking"

Arms outstretched, often with a baton in hand, and the familiar smile crossing over the line, Femke Bol's signature finish has become one of the most recognisable images in modern athletics.

The last time we saw it was in March, when the Dutch star briefly returned to the track for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, to the delight of the Dutch fans. Running before a roaring home crowd in Apeldoorn, Bol anchored the Netherlands to yet another historic 4x400m win, both in the inaugural mixed relay and the ever-competitive women’s relay.

It was her first outing since a stellar showing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where she claimed gold in the 4x400m mixed relay, silver in the women's 4x400m relay, and bronze in the 400m hurdles.

Bol took a well-deserved break, allowing herself to “breathe for a moment, to step outside the bubble and remember that I have a beautiful life beyond sport, too,” she said on the Open Kaart podcast. After years of near-constant momentum, it was time to pause.

But now, the 25-year-old is back in Rabat, and every sign points toward another electrifying 2025 season.

World record watch: women's 400m hurdles

Femke Bol is no longer chasing world-class status in the 400m hurdles. She is the standard-bearer, second only to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in history. Bol’s European record of 50.95 seconds makes her one of only two women to break 51 seconds, and she’s done it with textbook progression.

“Getting here is one thing, staying here is another,” she said of reaching the highest level of her sport.

In 2025, Bol could have her eyes on the world record of 50.37, set by McLaughlin-Levrone in the Olympic final at Paris 2024. With Sydney recently focusing on the flat 400m, as well as other new potential sprint distances in the new Grand Slam Track league early in the season, Bol may have a clear runway to test the limits of her event.

Her training camps have emphasised strength and precision: refining stride patterns and rehearsing those invisible technical gains that shave tenths off records.

In the past, the sub-51 barrier was a dream. In 2025, it’s just a matter of how and where. A peak performance on the Diamond League circuit or the World Championships in September could yield the moment the athletics world, and the Dutch runner, has been waiting for.

“Now it's about focusing on the small goals again. Improving, rather than just chasing medals. I hope I can keep doing it for a long time, and keep improving even in small ways, working hard to shave off just a few tenths of a second. I prefer to let my legs do the talking instead of saying too much.”

Whether it’s Bol or McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m hurdles world record could be in for an exciting upgrade this season.