Femke Broeders-Bol has changed distance, but not her ability to run fast. The Dutch star, one of the brightest names in world athletics in recent years, has left behind the 400 metres hurdles to face in 2026 a new challenge in the 800 metres.
And her results have been spectacular. All of her 800m races this season have been under two minutes, from the 1:59.07 indoors in February to her recent 1:54.71 at Weltklasse Zürich on August 27. A mark that places her as the ninth-fastest woman in history over 800 metres.
A training pace far removed from her marks
What’s curious is that her aerobic training paces are far from what her competitive performance might suggest. Bol has revealed that her long runs are run at approximately 5:30 per kilometer, while her threshold pace sits around 4:20 per kilometer.
These are paces that, taken in isolation, do not seem typical for an athlete capable of running 800 metres in 1:54.71. But that is precisely one of the training’s keys: not every kilometer has to be fast. The long runs and threshold work serve different roles within a program that blends endurance and speed.
Femke Broeders-Bol revealed today that her Long run pace is 5:30 per km and threshold pace is around 4:20 per km pic.twitter.com/ItuFybZXX9
— Preet Majithia (@preet_athletics) August 27, 2026
From 1:59 to 1:54 in seven months
Bol began the year with a 1:59.07 indoors and has been consolidating her adaptation to the distance. In June she already ran 1:57.13 in Ostrava and 1:57.41 in Hengelo, before dipping under 1:56 in Paris, ahead of the Birmingham European Championships.
In fact, her progression since the Paris race is spectacular, showing tremendous consistency over the distance:
Werro, still one step ahead
But, despite her spectacular progression, Bol is still one step behind the summer’s dominant 800m runner: Audrey Werro. The Swiss athlete has achieved something unheard of: winning every race she has contested this summer and going sub-1:54 three times, closing in on the historic world record of Jarmila Kratochvílová (1:53.28) with increasing danger. A mark Werro pursues with persistence and which Bol also aspires to reach.
Her upcoming clashes are likely on September 5 in the Diamond League final in Brussels and, a few days later, at the Ultimate World Championships in Budapest, which take place from September 11 to 13. Two stages where the Bol–Werro duel could deliver one of the season’s late‑stage highlights.
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