Femke Bol outsmarts Anna Cockrell to claim commanding victory in Diamond League Meeting final

Femke Bol outsmarts Anna Cockrell to claim commanding victory in Diamond League Meeting final

Abigael Wafula 23:15 - 14.09.2024

Femke Bol ran a tactical race to claim top honours in the women's 400m hurdles at the Diamond League Meeting in Brussels, beating Anna Cockrell to second place.

Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist Femke Bol has ended her season on a high with a commanding win at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.

Bol eased to a dominant win, clocking 52.45 seconds ahead of American Anna Cockrell who finished second in a time of 53.71 seconds. Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon completed the podium, stopping the clock in 53.99 seconds.

Apart from the misstep at the Paris Olympic Games, Bol has had a great season, clocking faster times and winning most of her races.

Bol started her season with an indoor campaign, winning the 400m hurdles title at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. She also raced at the World Athletics Relays, finishing second in the women’s 4x400m relay.

The world champion proceeded to claim the 400m hurdles title at the European Athletics Championships and anchored the 4x400m relay team to victory at the event. At the Dutch Championships, Bol finished third in the women’s 200m before competing at the FBK Games in Hengelo where she won the 400m.

Before the Paris Olympic Games, she won the 400m hurdles at the Diamond League Meeting in London. In Paris, she failed to live up to the billing, finishing third in the women’s 400m hurdles as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Anna Cockrell finished first and second.

After the Olympics, Bol meant business, winning the Diamond League Meetings in Lausanne and Silesia before her exploits in Brussels.

On her part, Cockrell ending her season with a second-place finish in Brussels is a huge plus. Last season, she finished fifth at the Prefontaine Classic, which was the final of the Diamond League.

After the Olympics, the American finished second at the Diamond League Meeting in Silesia before reigning supreme in Rome. At the Diamond League Meeting in Zurich, Cockrell finished second before settling for the same place in Brussels.

Another American, Shamier Little finished fourth in a time of 55.26 as Italy’s Ayomide Folorunso followed closely running in fifth-place.

Tags: