Reality sets in for Femke Bol as she reveals challenges in training after 800m transition

Dutch track star Femke Bol is tuning out the noise and channeling her energy in training into her bold new challenge of transitioning to the 800m ahead of the 2026 season.

Her preparations for next season comes on the heels of her nomination as a finalist for the 2025 World Athlete of the Year (eventually won by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone), an honor that drew public criticism on her inclusion when there were more deserving athletes in Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Beatrice Chebet.

Blocking out the noise, Bol has already begun her intensive preparation, attending a warm-weather training camp in South Africa to build the necessary endurance for the longer distance.

The World and Olympic 400m Hurdles champion shared the update on her Instagram page, showing glimpses of her rigorous regimen, which includes track sprints, hurdle drills for endurance, and hill runs on paved trails—all designed to prepare her for the demands of the 800m.

Bol also expressed the challenges she's facing adjusting to the training programmes, but still enjoying the process.

"Body and mind slowly but surely getting used to the 800m trainings. I’ve got a lot to learn, a lot of kilometres to run, there’ll be some more trials-and-errors, but mostly I’m enjoying this new road," she wrote as caption to a second post.

Known for her dominance in the 400m hurdles and indoor 400m flat, her decision to step up to the 800m marks a significant reinvention in her career.

"The switch feels really, really nice, really exciting, also really scary," she admitted in an October 2025 interview with European Athletics. "I’m still young. I’m mentally, physically, feeling really fit, and it’s a really, really big challenge. That’s also why I want to do it while I still feel at my best."

Her leap into the 800m is a testament to her ambition, and her early early start to training signals a deep commitment to mastering the new discipline.