In the final of the 4×400 meters, the Belgian Cheetahs finished fifth, but afterwards all attention went to world champions the Netherlands. Our northern neighbors seemed to be on their way to bronze, but that was without counting an incredibly strong Femke Bol.
Entering the last straight line, Bol was still in third position, well clear of Jamaica. But with 100 meters to go, the Dutch turned on her turbo. First she sped past Great Britain, only to blast past Jamaica in the end. Overjoyed, the Dutch ladies threw themselves on an exhausted Femke Bol. And the Eurosport commentators also went wild.
The images:
The Cheetahs finished a consistent race, running around fifth position all the way through. Femke Bol gave the Netherlands the world title in a time of 3:20.72. Jamaica (3:20.88) and Great Britain (3:21.04) completed the podium. Canada (3:22.42) was fourth ahead of Belgium.
The finalists secured a ticket for the World Relays in Nassau on May 4 and 5, 2024. Fourteen teams will earn their ticket for the Olympic Games in Paris there.
The Belgian record of the Cheetahs is 3:22.12. Cynthia Bolingo, Hanne Claes, Helena Ponette and Camille Laus clocked that top time at the 2022 European Championship in Munich. The Cheetahs have already finished fifth at the 2019 World Cup in the past. Last year they finished sixth in Eugene, without Bolingo each time.
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