Dutch star gets the host nation off to a golden start on day one of the European Indoor Championships
Femke Bol raising the roof in Apeldoorn is nothing new. The last time she raced at the Omnisport Arena, the Dutch star broke her own world indoor 400m record, after all. Following the rigours of an Olympic year, there has been no individual indoor season for the world 400m hurdles champion to tackle, but she was back on home turf and setting the track alight to get day one of the European Indoor Athletics Championships off to a golden start for the host nation on Friday night (March 6).
In her first race of 2025, Bol – as she so often does – anchored her team to victory with a highly accomplished closing leg in the Mixed 4x400m relay, an event making its debut at these championships. The winning time, 3:15.63, immediately became a championship record.
Belgium, led home by Helena Ponette, took silver in 3:16.19, just ahead of the fast finishing Lina Nielsen as the British quartet completed the podium in 3:16.49.
The last time the Netherlands staged a major international athletics championships, in 2016, the teenaged Bol was a volunteer helper but, on this occasion, she was at the centre of the crowd’s attention rather than checking their tickets.
Despite her lack of racing, her progress around the relaid Apeldoorn track was serene and, taking the baton in fourth, she glided her way into the lead and left no doubt as to the outcome.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Getty)
The other main source of intrigue and excitement on opening evening came in the heats of the men’s and women’s 1500m. Defending men’s champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen flexed his muscles at the TV cameras after qualifying fastest overall and winning the opening heat in 3:37.49 – and there was certainly some robust racing from the Norwegian, who jostled with Britain’s Thomas Keen as he made a move up the inside when trying to work his way through the pack.
Ingebrigtsen, who sat at the back until around 600m to go, ran out a comfortable winner, coming home ahead of Frenchman Louis Gilavert (3:38.11) and Belgium’s Ruben Verheyden (3:38.21), while Keen finished sixth in 3:40.10 and out of the running for the final. The Briton’s time was faster than that of his team-mate Neil Gourley, who had to stay patient to win heat three and make sure of his progress in 3:40.24.
A big talking point heading into the event was the controversial use of pacing lights at a championships…
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