Femke Bol of the Netherlands showcased her exceptional form once again at the Gala dei Castelli in Bellinzona, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting. Taking on the competition, Bol faced strong opposition from Shamier Little of the United States. The two athletes were neck-and-neck until Bol made a powerful move at the tenth hurdle, accelerating ahead to secure victory. Bol set a new meeting record with a time of 52.79, surpassing her own previous record of 54.01 from 2021. Little finished in second place with a time of 53.64.
This impressive win adds to Bol’s unbeaten streak in both the 400m and 400m hurdles since the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. It was during this event that Sydney McLaughlin shattered the world record with a time of 50.68. Bol’s next race will be the 400m hurdles at the Brussels Diamond League on Friday.
In another exciting event, world discus champion Daniel Stahl emerged victorious once again, narrowly defeating his rival Kristjan Ceh. Stahl took the lead in the second round with a throw of 67.24m, managing to hold onto his position despite Ceh’s fourth-round attempt of 67.15m.
However, world high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi had to settle for fourth place in the high jump event. Clearing a height of 2.24m, Tamberi missed out on victory due to the countback rule. Ukrainian athlete Andrii Protsenko secured the win with a flawless performance, being the only competitor to clear the height without any faults.
Other notable performances included Imani Lansiquot of Great Britain, who broke the 11-second barrier for the first time in the 100m event. Lansiquot finished second behind multiple Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who recorded a time of 10.92. Audrey Werro, a two-time European U20 champion, finished third in the 800m event with a time of 1:58.13.
This race marked one of Werro’s final events in the junior ranks, as she now moves up to fourth on the European U20 all-time list. She joins the ranks of talented athletes such as Keely Hodgkinson, Hildegard Ullrich, and Katrin Wuhn.
For a complete list of results, please refer to the provided link.