09/08/2026
Femke Bol Returns To Budapest: From One Of Her Darkest Moments To A New 800m Challenge
For Femke Bol, Budapest is more than just another stop on the athletics calendar. It is a place where heartbreak once threatened to define her championship campaign — only for the Dutch star to respond with one of the most memorable comebacks of her career.
Three years ago, at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Bol arrived in Budapest as one of the biggest names in the 400m hurdles. Yet her championships began with a painful collapse.
Anchoring the Netherlands in the mixed 4x400m relay on the opening night, Bol was within sight of victory when she fell just metres before the finish line. The Netherlands were disqualified, and what had looked like a near-certain gold medal disappeared in one devastating moment.
But Bol did not allow the disappointment to consume her.
Six days later, she returned to the track for the 400m hurdles final and delivered an emphatic response. Running with remarkable composure, she stormed to victory in 51.70 seconds, finishing more than a second clear of American Shamier Little to claim her first individual global title.
Then came the final track race of those championships — and another extraordinary chapter.
In the women’s 4x400m relay, Bol received the baton for the Netherlands with the Jamaican and British teams ahead. The deficit grew to roughly 10 metres down the back straight, but instead of surrendering, she began to hunt.
By the home straight, Bol had transformed the race.
She swept past Great Britain and then Jamaica to bring the Netherlands home in 3:20.72, securing a second world title in Budapest and completing one of the most remarkable redemption stories of the championships.
Now, Bol is heading back to the same city — but this time, her challenge is completely different.
There will be no hurdles standing in her way.
Instead, she will line up for the women’s 800m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where she will face two of the strongest middle-distance runners in the world: Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain and Swiss sensation Audrey Werro. The three are among the headline names in a formidable 800m field for the September 11–13 championship.
And this is no longer the same Bol who first experimented with the event.
The Dutch star has made a significant transition to the 800m this season, steadily improving as she has gained experience over the two-lap distance. Her 2026 best stands at 1:55.41, placing her among the leading contenders heading into Budapest.
Yet the challenge could hardly be tougher.
Werro has been the revelation of the 2026 season. The Swiss star leads the world with 1:53.80, a mark that ranks among the fastest performances ever recorded. She also defeated Hodgkinson and Bol at the European Championships in Birmingham, winning in 1:54.81 as Hodgkinson took silver in 1:55.01 and Bol finished third in 1:55.54.
Hodgkinson, meanwhile, remains one of the defining figures of the event. The Paris Olympic champion has already run 1:54.33 this season and will arrive in Budapest determined to reclaim the winning momentum against a rival who has repeatedly pushed her to the limit.
The latest meeting between Werro and Bol only adds more intrigue. At the Diamond League Final in Brussels, Werro prevailed in 1:54.75, but Bol pushed her all the way to the line, finishing just 0.06 seconds behind in 1:54.81.
That makes Budapest particularly fascinating.
Bol is no longer returning simply as the hurdler who once conquered the Hungarian capital. She is coming back as an ambitious 800m runner, testing herself against an Olympic champion and the world leader in an event that demands speed, tactical intelligence and endurance in equal measure.
For Bol, Budapest carries memories of a fall, a first global individual title and an unforgettable relay victory.
Now she has the opportunity to create another memory.
This time, there are no barriers to clear and no baton to chase.
There is only 800 metres — two laps in which Bol will have to match the pace, strength and finishing speed of Werro and Hodgkinson.
She has already shown what she can do when Budapest gives her a second chance.
The question now is whether she can turn that history into another triumph.
by Erick Cheruiyot for My Best Runs