Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone’s Rival Femke Bol Recalls Gruesome Mental Struggles Before Making It To The Paris Olympics

World champion in 400m hurdles, Femke Bolt has revealed the mental struggles she underwent enroute to the Paris Olympic Games.

The Dutch woman, 25, was the only hope for her team in the Olympics relay, where she achieved the impossible.

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The 2024 Paris Olympics – 4×400 mixed relay and a trailing Dutch team. With the final baton exchange between the third runner and her, the Dutch runner burst off in fourth, trailing by two seconds.

Nobody would’ve even given it a thought that something like this could be pulled off.

The Dutch team finished first. Such was the performance of Femke Bol. Each stride seemed to shrink the gap as she commanded the track with a 47.93‑second lap, her long legs devouring ground, and before you know it, she was the first one to cross the finish line.

Talking of her Olympics season, the Olympian told Essentially Sports: “That was such a busy season. Normally, there are two peak moments, but there were so many tournaments in between.”

In the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, the track calendar was stacked with key meets. Bol participated in the Dutch Indoor Championships, World Athletics Indoor Championships, and many other competitions. But topping these games wasn’t her priority.

"So I was competing a lot but not in top form, because we were working towards peaking at the Games. I knew I had to be at 110% in the final if I wanted a shot at gold.”

In June 2024, in the Stockholm Diamond League, Bol won the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.07 seconds, which was slower than her personal best of 52.03 seconds set in 2023. But while she might just be training in these races, being any less than in her actual training took a toll on her.

She said in the interview that, “So every training that was a nine had me coming home in tears—“It’s not good enough, I want better, am I even good enough?” I kept overthinking whether I’d be in shape on time.” But she had a great support system.

“Luckily, my coach and sport psychologist helped. We sat down—we do that once or twice a year—and said ‘This is the only real hurdle I see: your own pressure."

She confessed to her perfectionism getting out of hand because she wanted it so badly.  Talking to her coach, Laurent Meuwly, and her psychologist helps her a lot.