Femke Bol shatters Dutch record, also Sifan Hassan razor sharp in Florence | Sport

The 21-year-old Amersfoortse won the race by force majeure, in 53.44 seconds. She ran her old top time of 53.79 last year.

Bol also won the 400 hurdles at the FBK Games last Sunday, but she was almost a second slower (54.33). Just like in Hengelo, Anna Ryzhikova from Ukraine finished second behind her in Florence. She crossed the finish line at a good distance from Bol, in 54.19.

With her new record time of 53.44, Bol is third in this year’s world ranking. The Dutch top talent, who this winter became European champion indoor in the 400 meters and outdoor already tightened the Dutch record for this distance to 50.56, ran an almost flawless race. She wants to make fifteen steps between all ten hurdles in order to maintain speed especially on the heavy last meters and in Florence she almost succeeded. She only had to make an extra pass for the last hurdle.

Bol reacted enthusiastically. „In Hengelo I made quite a lot of mistakes and now there were also mistakes, but the second part of the race went much better. I was able to maintain my speed well, but I have yet to find my rhythm over the hurdles. I’m working hard on that,” she said shortly after the race. “But of course I am very happy with a Dutch record.”

Hassan impresses with best time of year at 1500 meters in Florence

Sifan Hassan also impressed in the 1500 meters. She won the race in 3.53.63, the best time in the world this year. The Dutch top athlete defeated Kenyan Faith Kipyegon in a mighty final sprint, who set a national record with a time of 3.53.91. Britain’s Laura Muir ran into third place in 3.55.59.

Hassan won the 10,000 meters on Sunday at the FBK Games in Hengelo in 29.06.82. That was a world record. The Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey improved it again two days later to 29.01.03, on the same track in Hengelo.

Four days after her race in Hengelo, Hassan no longer seemed to feel the fatigue of that 25-lap race. She was in the front from the start and took the initiative in the race after 700 meters. Kipyegon kept pushing until the end of the race, but Hassan turned out to have a stronger final shot. She just failed to beat her personal best of 3.51.91. At that time, she became world champion in the 1500 meters in 2019.