Femke Bol, the reigning world champion in the 400m hurdles, will take center stage at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games 2024 (FBK Games 2024) in Hengelo, Netherlands, on Sunday as the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series resumes.

The 24-year-old Dutch star has been sharpening her speed this season in preparation for a highly anticipated clash with American Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Paris Olympics next month.

Bol, who holds the European record in the 400m hurdles with a time of 51.45 seconds, has been in scintillating form indoors this year. She improved her own world indoor 400m record from 49.24 seconds to 49.17 seconds to win the world title in Glasgow on March 2nd, while posting several other sub-50 second performances during the winter.

After a few outings in her specialty event, the 400m hurdles, to start the outdoor season, Bol will now test herself over the flat 400m in Hengelo. She will be aiming to better her outdoor personal best of 49.44 seconds and potentially challenge McLaughlin-Levrone’s world-leading time of 48.75 seconds, set impressively in New York on June 9th.

The field Bol will face at the FBK Games 2024 does not include any other sub-50 second runners, but it is still stacked with quality. Her Dutch 4x400m relay teammates Cathelijn Peeters and Lisanne De Witte will be in the mix, as will Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley, whose inspirational running helped Ireland to mixed 4x400m gold and women’s 4x400m silver at last month’s European Championships.

Bol, who was named European Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023, will be looking to put on a show for her home fans in Hengelo before heading to Paris with her sights set on adding Olympic gold to her growing collection of major championship titles.