Femke Bol celebrates with Ukrainian silver medallist Viktoriya Tkachuk. Photo: AFP/Ina Fassbender
Hurdler Femke Bol made history by becoming the first woman to win the 400m and 400m hurdles at a major championships with a dominant run over the barriers.
Bol entered the home straight with a clear lead and despite easing down finished two seconds ahead of the field in a time of 52.67 seconds.
The silver and bronze medals both went to Ukraine, with Viktoriya Tkachuk finishing ahead of her compatriot Anna Ryzhykova.
Bol, 22, admitted that the pressure of being the overwhelming favourite had influenced how she ran the race.
‘I didn’t have to do anything crazy, just run a clean race,’ she told NOS. ‘But it’s a bit of a relief as well. I ran my second best time of the season. I’m not a machine: the pressure was huge.’
She will go for a third gold medal on Saturday evening as part of the Dutch 4x400m relay team, which is among the favourites for the title along with Great Britain and Belgium.
The Netherlands had hopes of another medal in the women’s 200m final, but Lieke Klaver finished fifth in a race won by Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji.
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