In just one season, Femke has come a long way. She went from being a clumsy rookie—albeit an incredibly fast one from the very start—to becoming the #2 800m runner in the world.
Bol lost by a mere six-hundredths of a second to the undisputed leader right now, the magnificent Audrey Werro, in the 2026 Diamond League Final! Tactically speaking, Femke ran a flawless race, execution-wise.
But as of right now, Werro simply has the upper hand! Audrey has won the Diamond League Grand Final two times in a row.
And this isn’t the last showdown between these incredibly gifted runners this season—the Ultimate World Championship is still ahead of us! I really hope Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will join the fray too.
To be completely honest, women’s 800m racing has never been this thrilling in the entire history of track and field—at least not in the last 50 years, that much I can say for sure.
You can watch the full race over on my Telegram channel, BasilRun.