Thirteen Questions for Femke Bol

Femke Bol has begun her 2023 outside season fairly properly. After profitable two golds within the European Indoors, Femke has opened outside with a 52.43 WL within the 400m hurdles and 50.11 at 400 meters. 

What follows are 13 questions for Femke Bol from Stuart Weir. 

13 Questions for Femke Bol

RunBlogRun #1, What are your reminiscences of the Olympic last in Tokyo?

Femke Bol: It was simply wonderful as a result of I’d been coaching the entire yr considering, ‘I need a medal in Tokyo’.  You then get there and suppose, ‘I’m on the Olympics.  I’m in the perfect form of my life.  Now I acquired to carry out’.  I used to be simply going spherical to spherical, however I loved each second.  After I reached the ultimate, I took a second to get pleasure from the truth that I’d made the Olympic last, however I knew I needed extra.  Within the last, I went out like loopy and tried to remain near them [Sydney and Dalilah] however then I died.  However I used to be glad as a result of I knew I’d performed all the things I may do.  Working in a world report race is all the time wonderful since you are towards the perfect.  For me, as an athlete, that’s what I really like.  After all, you wish to be the perfect, however it’s cool to have the ability to race Sydney, the perfect ever on the earth and take a look at a in the future to beat that particular person – maybe by no means.  However to see how briskly they will go and Dalilah additionally went quick.   

RunBlogRun, #2, The instances in 400h gone mad!  The world report stood for 16 years then Dalilah broke it twice and Sydney 4 instances.  What’s going on?

Femke Bol: I feel it’s wonderful and likewise due to the coincidence that it’s also occurring on the boys’s facet.  In 2019 I used to be fairly new to the occasion, however as Dalilah stated in a press convention, it has been so good to see the occasion develop that it’s now one of many highlights of the championship.  Individuals are saying, ‘I wish to watch the 400 hurdles’.  It’s wonderful to be a part of it. I feel Sydney and likewise Dalilah broke enormous boundaries.  Folks questioned if somebody would ever run a 51, and now Sydney is working a 50.  It exhibits that a lot extra is feasible than we predict, and I wish to be a part of it.  Sydney and Dalilah have pushed me to wish to be a greater athlete and run sooner. I feel it’s wonderful. For me, after all, the hurdles is the perfect occasion however it’s nice that extra folks consider it like that now. 

RunBlogRun, #3, Discuss Sydney

Femke Bol:  I feel she’s wonderful.  She’s a terrific runner and in nice form.  It’ll be laborious to compete along with her.  Maybe I shall be second on the world stage my entire profession, however I’m coaching to not be.  However for positive, it’s potential.

RunBlogRun, #4, How do you assess your expertise? Quick, who can hurdle or technically good hurdler?

Femke Bol: technically, I’m not but a superb hurdler; I feel I’ve quite a bit to be taught.  However equally, I feel that velocity isn’t probably the most pure factor to me.  I work laborious to get extra velocity.  However with the fatigue and the lactic, I maintain considering, what’s the proper tempo? I feel that’s the place my expertise is.  Additionally, in a 400 flat, what the tempo ought to really feel like.  I like to undergo the lactic and go deeper and go sooner.  Or in coaching, when I’m filled with lactic, can I do yet one more – when we now have a number of reps in a session.  I feel that’s it, and I must proceed to have the ability to suppose and plan since you want a superb plan.

RunBlogRun, #5, Are you shocked how rapidly you as a result of world-class?

Femke Bol:  Sure, generally I’m shocked!  Particularly in 2021 once I went from 53.7 to 52.03 and on the identical spikes with nothing modified.  I generally ask how I’ve achieved these items, however I do work laborious for it and achieve this many issues for it. It’s not like I click on my fingers, and I get it.  However nonetheless, there are a number of different athletes who practice simply as laborious and are usually not reaching these items.  I do ask how I’ve achieved this, and I feel it’s wonderful.  I’m having fun with it quite a bit, which helps.

RunBlogRun, #6, You as soon as stated that you just like chasing somebody down in relays.  In distinction, within the hurdles, you might be often profitable.

Femke Bol: Sure, however that’s what I like in regards to the hurdles.  Hurdles are chasing, however you’re chasing the hurdles, not an individual.  There’s additionally the problem of getting 10 hurdles and the considering and going from hurdle to hurdle.  I actually like that feeling that you just’re nonetheless chasing one thing.  I really like relays, however I really like my hurdles a bit extra.

RunBlogRun, #7, On the European Championship, you probably did two particular person occasions – 400 flat and hurdles – in addition to the relay.  Would possibly you try this once more?  

Femke Bol:  It was a extremely good expertise, and I loved it quite a bit, however it was a really laborious problem. I achieved it, and I needs to be glad and go away it like that! It’s unlikely that I’ll do it once more.

RunBlogRun, #8, You’re a busy athlete. Why do you race a lot?

Femke Bol:  I really like racing; that’s my favourite half.  I really like coaching, however I additionally love racing.  I additionally suppose racing is a solution to attempt new issues and get right into a rhythm.  You could possibly say I don’t want them, however I like them.  I feel Diamond Leagues are enormous, and I nonetheless properly bear in mind my first Diamond League and considering, “Whoa, I’m allowed to race within the Diamond League with all these high athletes”.  It’s simply one of many competitions, and I like to race in them.  If I can, I wish to run in Diamond Leagues – if it’s not an excessive amount of.  I feel it’s a pleasant for the game to do completely different races.  Typically I don’t run as quick as I wish to, however I’m nonetheless attempting to develop within the races.

I’m glad that I’ve good coaches round me to prepare it for me.  In 2021, I raced quite a bit earlier than the Olympics, however in 2022 not so many, however I belief my coaches and can do no matter they are saying.  After the 2022 world, I needed to be prepared and to mentally reload for the Europeans.  Realizing that I’ve to try this helps.

RunBlogRun, #9, Inform me about your coaching set-up?

Femke Bol:  Laurent Meuwly and Bram Peters are my coaches.  I practice at Papendal, the Nationwide Dutch Sports activities Heart.  There’s a huge group, I feel fourteen 400m runners.  And in addition Ajla Del Ponte from Switzerland. So it’s a reasonably good group to be in.  We practice laborious, a number of powerful coaching – some do extra endurance, others extra velocity.  It’s a giant group, however coaching is tailored to the particular person.  I feel it’s a pleasant ambiance that we practice in.  Ultimately, we’re all sore and drained, however we maintain having enjoyable.  We work collectively and push one another on.  It’s a terrific place to be and among the best locations through which to turn out to be among the best athletes.

RunBlogRun, #10, How a lot hurdling do you do?

Femke Bol:  It is dependent upon when within the season.  Typically I do hurdles in the future per week and maybe some drills one other day.  As we get nearer to the summer time season, I often do two and generally three hurdle periods.

RunBlogRun, #11, What’s Femke the particular person like?

Femke Bol:  I primarily wish to see my household, associates, and boyfriend as a result of I’m usually away, for instance, at coaching camps in South Africa.  So I wish to be at house – or in Belgium the place my boyfriend lives – simply to see them as a result of household and associates are actually vital to me.  I miss them quite a bit, so seeing them is a large factor.  At coaching camps, I wish to learn and attempt to be taught some French.  I wish to drink espresso.  Not too many issues as a result of I practice a lot that I’m drained on the finish of the day.

RunBlogRun, #12, I requested about stride patterns to point out that it is a correct athletics interview.

Femke Bol:  If I’m in good condition proper now, I begin with 15 and finish with 15.  So I just about maintain the identical rhythm the entire time, however it feels fairly completely different as a result of I feel I’m shifting super-fast for the primary three hurdles, however then in direction of the top, I bounce to get by means of the hurdles due to the fatigue and lactic within the legs.  I actually like fifteens and all the things on the identical leg.  Typically early within the season, as a result of I wasn’t in the perfect form, I’d do two instances 16, or if I’m drained in direction of the top, I’d do the final hurdle in 16, however that’s not good because it signifies that I take the final hurdle with my unhealthy leg and lose a number of velocity.

RunBlogRun, #13, Should you had an ideal season in 2023, would possibly you cut back the strides?

Femke Bol:  We are attempting to alter my strides and to go to 14 as a result of final yr I used to be manner too near the hurdles, and my coach stated we needed to attempt one other yr at 15 as a result of I made an enormous breakthrough, and you have to show to your self which you could carry out at that stage.  And now we all know that 2023 is one yr to the Olympics, so that is the yr to alter one thing.  So we’re going to attempt to go to 14.  In 2022 I acquired sooner, simply on velocity stage, however it was simply too laborious between hurdles, so I feel it’s a superb change for me.  However, after all, I’ve to attempt it and see the way it goes.  However I’m trying ahead to it.