Fimik Poll, first-time World Cup gold favorite: ‘She can handle the pressure’ | another sport
The 400m hurdles will be a tough battle between world record holder Sidney McLaughlin and Fimic Paul. But the American canceled her subscription, and now the Dutchman is the favorite to win gold at the World Cup in Budapest for the first time in her career. “I want to run my best race ever.”
Bram Peters, al jaren een van de coaches van Bol, zei het begin dit jaar treffend. “Sydney is van een andere planeet. Femke is dat ook, maar Sydney bewijst dat daar nog een niveau boven zit.”
Dat verschil was de afgelopen jaren steeds zichtbaar. Bol won altijd, zolang McLaughlin niet meedeed. Op de Spelen in Tokio pakte McLauhlin goud in een wereldrecordtijd en vorig jaar op de WK in Eugene deed ze dat gewoon nog een keer (50,68). Het gat met de recordtijd van Bol (51,45) is nog altijd flink.
De prestaties van de tot dusver onverslaanbare McLaughlin werden misschien wel een stip aan de horizon voor Bol. Ze veranderde dit seizoen haar looptechniek (veertien in plaats van vijftien passen tussen de horden) met als doel nóg sneller te worden. Én het gat met McLaughlin te dichten voor de Olympische Spelen van 2024 in Parijs. Misschien zelfs al voor de WK in Boedapest, die over een week begint.
Maar of dat gelukt is, zullen we voorlopig niet weten. In juli kwam vanuit de Verenigde Staten het nieuws dat McLaughlin de 400 meter horden in Boedapest laat schieten. Geen strijd met Bol om de wereldtitel. De Amerikaanse richt zich op de 400 meter, terwijl Bol bij afwezigheid van McLaughlin heerst op de 400 meter horden. De vijf snelste tijden van 2023 staan allemaal op naam van de 23-jarige Amersfoortse.
Snelste vrouwen dit jaar op 400 meter horden
- Femke Bol (Nederland) – 51,45
- Britton Wilson (VS) – 53,23
- Andrenette Knight (Jamaica) – 53,26
- Shamier Little (VS) – 53,34
- Dalilah Muhammad (VS) – 53,53
Het WK-podium vorig jaar in Eugene: Femke Bol (zilver), Sydney McLaughlin (goud) en Dalilah Muhammad (brons).
“The field is still very strong.”
In recent weeks, Paul has often indicated that she thinks it is a shame that a title fight with McLaughlin has not happened in Budapest. And I repeated it on Friday at a press moment in Papendal. “Yes, really, I wanted to march against Sydney.”
Paul doesn’t want to think too much about the fact that she’s now suddenly a favorite. “The field is still very strong with Delilah Muhammad and Shamir Little,” she asserted. “And the Jamaicans are also very fast this year. My goal in the World Cup hasn’t changed either. I want to walk my best ever race in the final.”
National team coach Laurent Mouili does not acknowledge that McLaughlin’s absence is causing a different dynamic. “Of course Fimke is now the favorite for gold in the World Cup,” he says. “And she hadn’t experienced that before. But I don’t think the pressure would be very different for Fimke.”
Moyley points out Paul’s performance in the Diamond League. The now European champion has claimed seventeen straight 400-meter hurdles victories in that lucrative series, though McLaughlin doesn’t always get involved.
“The Diamond League is not a World Cup, I realize that. But because of her winning streak, Vimke has the experience of what it’s like to be the woman to beat. In the Diamond League she can only really lose, but that’s not happening yet. She keeps winning because she She is focused on racing performance. This experience can help her in the World Cup. She can handle the pressure in Budapest. At least I expect that.”
2:29“I’m not seen on social media anymore”
Based on recent World Cup testing, it looks like BOL is ready to hunt for gold. On 23 July, she sharpened her personal record in London to 51.45. “I seem to be in good shape,” she said on Friday. “It’s still a week of training and after that I have to be ready for the World Cup.”
High expectations try to get as little as possible. “I don’t read what the media is writing now. And I haven’t looked at social media for over a week. That’s how I always do in a big championship. I want to focus on my racing performance. That is. Then we’ll see in a couple of weeks what the outcome is. I’m really looking forward to it.” “.
The World Cup kicks off in Budapest on Saturday 19 August and runs through Sunday 27 August. 400m hurdles final Thursday, August 24th at 9:50pm.
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