The World Relays in Guangzhou had everything a track fan could dream of. Scintillating finishes. Surprise qualifiers. South Africa—storming to the men’s 4x100m title. Canada—making history in the mixed 4x100m. Japan—showing fire in their qualifiers. And of course, the usual giant USA and Jamaica, with their flair, albeit inconsistently this time. New forces like Kenya, Belgium, and Australia threw their hats into the ring, too. But in the middle of this thrilling chaos, something felt… incomplete. Missing. Like a vital page torn from a script. And one of the track’s most iconic sprinters couldn’t ignore it. His attention wasn’t just on speed. It was in silence.
The team in question was the Netherlands, and more specifically, the absence of Femke Bol, which didn’t sit well with Justin Gatlin. That bothered Justin Gatlin a lot. “So we have events that are dominated by Jamaica, the USA, and Great Britain,” Justin Gatlin said on his Ready Set Go Podcast. “Now you have South Africa, Kenya, Japan stepping up to the plate and saying, hey, we’re here, too.”
But in the same breath of rising nations, Gatlin raised an eyebrow at one glaring void — the Netherlands. “I haven’t heard anything from the Netherlands,” co-host Rodney Green said. “And they have a really strong team.”
And that’s not just speculation. At the Paris Olympics, the Dutch women’s 4x400m team grabbed silver, finishing behind the USA. Their squad of Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters, Lisanne de Witte, and Femke Bol clocked 3:19.50, led by Bol’s explosive final leg.
But Bol didn’t stop there; she delivered gold in 4*400m mixed relays, partnering with Klaver, Omalla, and Klein Ikkink.
“Oh, boy. I don’t know. The mystery deepens, man,” Gatlin replied. “I mean, we talked about this indoors, where we’re saying, well, we see Klever. She’s running the 400, but we’d never see a relay team for the world indoors. So we’re like, oh, maybe, you know, Femke Bol is, you know, taking a little time hiatus.”
Bol earlier announced that she won’t compete individually indoors. She posted on Instagram in January,” After the last Olympic cycle with years full of amazing competitions indoors and outdoors, we’ve decided to do it a bit differently this year. I’m training hard and preparing myself for another successful year on the track, but I also feel that I need a bit more time away from competing. Therefore, I have decided not to race individually this indoor season.”
Gatlin addressed that, saying, “And the rest of the team’s just kind of getting ready for outdoors,” Gatlin added. “But here we are. Outdoors. The World Relays. And… there’s not a Netherlands racer in sight.”
Which stings, because not long ago, at Apeldoorn, Bol split indoors in the Euro Indoors relay final. Well, it might be about to change!
Femke Bol to kick off season in Rabat Diamond League
“Three more weeks. Season opener in Rabat this year!” — Just a few days ago, Femke Bol dropped that nugget on her Instagram story, and instantly, fans everywhere circled the date: May 25.
After a low-key indoor season, the flying Dutchwoman is about to take flight again — and this time, it’s outdoors. The Rabat Diamond League will mark her 2025 debut, and honestly, the anticipation is sky-high.
The official event announcement rolled out the red carpet, reminding the world who’s coming:
“@femke_bol — World Champion in Budapest, silver in Eugene, double Olympic bronze in Tokyo and Paris , world indoor record holder over 400m, and four-time Diamond League Champion — is set to put on a show.”
And show she will. Since her breakout in 2020, Bol has won 25 Diamond League races, a staggering stat that clearly tells just how dominant she’s been in the 400m hurdles.
And this season, she’s chasing more history. With Tokyo’s World Championships coming up in September, she’s eyeing a title defense, a fifth straight Diamond League crown, and maybe… another record.
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