Women's 400 Meter Hurdles Finals|Sydney McLaughlin VS. Femke Bol|Race Breakdown |Paris Olympics 2024
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- In this video, Mike Caton from ACE Method Coaching delivers an in-depth analysis of the highly anticipated 400m hurdles final at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. The race featured two of the world’s best hurdlers, Sydney McLaughlin and Femke Bol, but the showdown didn’t turn out as close as many expected. Sydney McLaughlin emerged victorious, leaving fans and analysts wondering what went wrong for Femke Bol.
Join me as I break down the race step-by-step, highlighting how Sydney’s superior technique, strategy, and execution helped her dominate the field. I’ll also delve into why Femke Bol, despite her incredible talent and identical stride pattern with Sydney, didn’t perform up to her usual standards in this crucial race.
Whether you're a fan of track and field, a coach, or an athlete looking to learn from the best, this video offers valuable insights into what it takes to win at the highest level. We’ll explore the tactical decisions, physical challenges, and mental aspects that played a role in this unforgettable Olympic event.
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on all things track and field as we continue to cover the 2024 Olympics and beyond!
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Thank you for watching Women's 400 Meter Finals | Sydney McLaughlin VS. Femke Bol | Race Breakdown | Paris Olympics 2024
I think your point about Syd being a stronger athlete at this point AND a mentally superior athlete right now are the keys. I told a friend as we watched a replay of the race shortly after it was run live that I think Sydney is why Anna got the silver. And that is NOT a knock on Anna Cockrell, because she ran a PB by nearly a second. By far the best 400m hurdle race she has ever run. But what happened, at least in my opinion, is that Femke was right with Sydney for six hurdles, but the explosion that Sydney made from hurdle 7 to 8 mentally "broke" Femke. It so demoralized her that she could not respond, even to Anna's challenge in the last 50 meters. And that's why I say that 1) Sydney is stronger mentally right now, and 2) Sydney's move helped Anna to the silver because it broke Femke's will down the stretch and Anna was fully ready to run the race of her life...and she did.
@@leeayers2213 exactly! We’re on the same page. Thanks for the comment.
Fair enough. But Anna also got the silver because she finally copied Sydney and Femke this year and went to 14 steps through the majority of the event. Other women are catching on and it is clearly making this a premier event because of it.
Anna's stronger than both of them, phew. Her body build is magnificent
Both Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol have several years of running ahead of them, should they choose to continue and barring unforeseen circumstances. While Femke Bol didn't perform as well as expected in the 400m Hurdles she shouldn't be underestimated. She did well in the 4x400m Mixed Relay and I was impressed at how she anchored the 4x400m Women's, executing an impressive ending kick to win the silver for the Netherlands.
I love Sydney she's my jersey girl and neighbor. Femke had run more races at the Olympics and her legs were not as fresh as Sydneys. Sydney is definitely faster on any day. Even Ana Cockrell beat Femke in this race.
We can't under-estimate the training that Coach Bobby Kersee has imparted on Sydney. She is the only female athlete that runs 14 steps between most of the hurdles. Everyone else is 15 or 16 steps. He cracked the code for this race and found the perfect athlete to implement the strategy. Short of sickness or injury, or someone adopting her training, we are witnessing an "Edwin Moses" career.
That isn’t true, Femke also has a 14 step stride pattern up until hurdle 7. She, like Sydney, alternates her lead legs for the majority of the race
@@therandomfactor4437 Was my understanding that Sydney was the only one. But, I'll take your word for it. At any rate, it looks like Bobby is now tweaking Sydney's point of full throttle. This race might be the perfect strategy of holding back a bit and then between the 5/6 hurdles, hit the jets.
@@therandomfactor4437 I guess that explains why femke is the only other female athlete to break 51 in 400m hurdles
Thanks for the update Coach. You did an excellent journey in helping me understand this reace
Interesting hurdle by hurdle breakdown. I've never seen that before. Thanks
Thanks for the awesome, detailed breakdown. Sydney was determined to win the goal medal. Even if Femke had run a perfect race, there is nothing based on the history of these two that would suggest she would've beaten Sydney. Sydney continues to break her own world records and no athletes, (including Bol) are near the times that she's running. When Jordan was in the NBA winning 6 titles with the Bulls, his greatness prevented other great athletes from winning NBA championships. This is currently how Sydney is reigning over track and field. Amazingly, she's only 25.
The only thing that Bol needs to work on is her mental toughness - adopting a killer instinct. The only reason that Sydney ran 47.70 in the relay was because she ran the 2nd leg which gave her a clean break VS having to navigate other runners during the exchange at the start line for legs 3 & 4 which can prevent a runner from blasting out unless they have a big lead. I have no doubt that team USA Coach wanted to give her a clean break so she could run her fastest time possible so again, people could say that she beat Femke's fastest 400m split of 47.93. I know Sydney is a better hurdler than Femke but I don't think that she is a better 400m runner. Femke holds the world record in the indoor 400m and the 500m. If Sydney is so much superior to Bol then why doesn't she attempt to break those records or at least face Femke in other meets such as the Diamond league meets. I think Sydney doesn't want to risk getting beat by Bol and losing the mental edge that she has on Femke.
@@Glf65297 the notion that Team USA would set the lineup so as to make a statement for Syd against Femke is laughable. The objective was to win the race. Surely Team NETH could’ve put Bol 2nd, if your theory is correct, to give her the best chance at a fast split. Oh wait, none of the other Dutch women broke 50 secs, so putting Bol last was the only thing they could do, hoping Bol could pull off a miracle and get the team on the podium
@@Glf65297 😆😆😆🤡🤡🤡🤡
Really informative video. Thank you. I saw another on youtube which analyzed the amount of time Sydney's foot stays in contact with the ground when landing off the hurdle. Basically her foot stays in contact with the ground for less time. She springs off the landing foot quicker than the others. Amazing.
@@martinn4031 I’d love to see that. Can you share a link?
@@acemethodcoaching9102 Sure. ua-cam.com/video/YxdeRS1GT3Y/v-deo.htmlsi=FZvgsFGiYFpM632u
It’s her superior open 200m leg speed . 400m hurdlers generally aren’t also producing top times in a 200 like that.
@@eastcoastshine2009 agreed! I had that 200 race in mind when I made that comment.
@@acemethodcoaching9102 I argued last year with a group of European fanboys about the superiority of Sydney over Femke, and to me it came down to foot speed and how Sydney maintains her form even through fatigue at the end of the hurdles. Femke's form always seems to falter toward the middle of the race. They of course believed, despite all evidence to the contrary, that Femke had superior foot speed and better hurdling technique.
Your're correct Kersee preparing her to run that 200m gave her an advantage over Bol in the first 300m of the race.
@@acemethodcoaching9102 And yet it's the last 200m where Sydney blew Bol out the water. I remember when Sydney lost that 400m flat to Paulino she mentioned how she needed to work on the back end of the race. I think that work helped her put her plan into effect.
@@helgar791
You're right and Syd has always been a great dancer and dedicated to extra home core sessions....with some squats in between.
Her muscular endurance, core stability (DNT) and explosiveness are so developed that she never breaks form. She's always had exceptional balance, too.
She's incorporated a lot of ankle strength and mobility work since 2018 as well.
Good eye. 👍🏽
Thanks for the repost. I absolutely agree Sydney is the GOAT. But Femka is pretty amazing in her own right. Props to both athletes. Also they are both good people. They are good role models. Exactly what this world needs. Mike I love the break down that was cool. Thanks for what you do. I use your videos as tools to help my hurdlers all the time.
@@coachbillington507 I absolutely agree with you! Thank you and thanks for the comment.
Anna Cockrell is also a good role-model.
@@trwent you’re right! It’s too bad. She’s being lost in this discussion. I’m even guilty of that.
I watch the interview post race and sydney, femke n anna are brawn, beauty and class. ❤ from 🇵🇭
one of the main reasons i follow both sydney and femke is that they are exceptional athletes who are also humble. Am sick of show boating by folks like Noah, Sha'carri
Can we please stop it with the comparisons! Sydney has beaten Bol, over and over again, and has dominated her for years. Sydney is a superior athlete, faster, stronger and a once in a generation talent. I'm not taking anything away from Femke, she's great in her own right, but for those of you who keep claiming she was tired. Please, she had 5 days to recover. Just look at how well she ran the 4x400 to run down everyone who was in front of her to get a silver medal for her country. She wasn't tired then, was she?
What do you mean "Sydney has beaten Bol, over and over again, and has dominated her for years"? Correct me if I'm wrong but this is only the third time they've gone head to head...convincing wins, but you can't claim years of domination based on three races!
@@Finnegas-Eces So, tell us, how many years and how many races would you consider domination? Sydney dominated her in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, 2022 World Championship, and 2024 at the recent Olympics-----The only reason we don't have a 2023 domination is because Sydney chose to try her hands on the 400m flat.
-----I know you are one of those delusional Bol fans who wants to continue believing that Sydney has not dominated Bol---but if you are competing with someone and they have beaten you by a wide margin in three races in a 4-yr span, that is domination.😅😅
I’m tired of people not putting respect on Sydney’s name smh. You don’t your own record that many times for nothing. If the roles were reversed and Bol was in Sydney’s position would there be this much chatter? Doubt it…
@@kobbieafriyie2172 Sydney imposed her will on Femke with her dominating Olympic run.
@@Rhaspun Exactly!
that's what she did----Overwhelming force on Bol to break her will---That's what a superior athlete does to a lesser athlete.
I think Anna's performance was especially notable, running on par with Femke.
Yes! She did step up just at the right time,!
I agree! Anna was special----I even predicted she was going to beat Femke to second and was mocked in several comments prior to the Olympics
That was the actual duel. But Femke fans/coaches got greedy and went for Mike Tyson of hurdles
Anna's progression has been almost as phenomenal as Bol's and Sydney's especially considering she doesn't run the 400 or 200.
Not on par.....better
This gentlemen Coach ACE proves numbers do not lie. Great insight & analysis
@@andrekelley7559 thank you!
I would love to see you do a breakdown of Anna Cockrell. Anna is going to be a force to be reckoned with as long as she stays mentally and physically strong. The rivalry if there is one, is Femke/Anna. The final at Trials she ran 52.64 and at the Olympics Final a 51.87. Her times are dropping.
Bol’s coach suggested she went out too fast in her attempt to keep up with Sydney. I assumed that AND the way in which Sydney just zoomed right past her had to break her spirit a bit. She’s been so accustomed to beating everyone since 2023 that perhaps she mentally could handle being beaten so badly like she was. I’m sure she’ll recover and get back down to 51s in the next meet.
It's right, Sydney being too fast for her, she broke at the straight!
Both have great led speed. Their turnover in the first half of the race was almost equivalent. However, where Sydney really shined is her strength over the last part of the race. Femke doesn’t have that strength or same type of speed stamina that Sydney has. Truth is that really nobody does, but if Femke wants to challenge Sydney in the future she needs more strength.
@@AJXOXO-vz1pn they both can have great leg speed. But one has more than the other. Sydney ran 22.0 in the 200 against the wind 2 months ago. Femke ran 22.9. Sydney is just an all-around better athlete than Femke.
She didn't go out too fast. She just broke down mentally because of the World expectation on her to beat Sydney. That's a heavy weight to carry for such a long period of time.
@@Glf65297 come on. Whether she lost because she went out too fast or not. She lost. The bottom line is that Bol wasn’t physically at the level that Sydney was. Nobody can touch Sydney. That’s not a knock on Femke. She could’ve done a better race by not going out as fast, but so what? She still wasn’t going to catch Sydney. What we’re arguing about is irrelevant
It was only a showdown built up by media and fans wanting to see the big names compete. Femke is great- witness her finish of the mixed 400 relay, Sydney is on a whole different level so the result wasn't really a surprise but it sure did look impressive. I thought the press conference after the race with the 3 medalist was a master class on grace, humility and sportsmanship. I am just amazed by how effortless Sydney makes this race look while I know she must be putting in max effort to run those times. And to think that 5 years ago no one outside the runners cared about a Womens 400 IM hurdle race, kudos ladies.
Did you not watch the press conference after the race? Bol said flat out that she went out too fast and had really bad lactic at 300m. She said she screwed the race up. The press conference is on the Citius channel. When Syd was asked about own strategy she said Kersee told her to run the race like he was on the infield with a stop watch. As far as Bol running "right on to what Sydney's doing?" The problem is - she isn't running those times in races WITH Sydney in the race. What she runs in a regular tour race against the lower tier hurdlers is moot until she runs it in a big race against Sydney. And even then she saw first hand that Sydney has another gear. You said she was right on pace with Sydney...but Sydney hasn't been running all out, has she? She wasn't even breathing that hard after that race. And then she threw down a 47.71 split in the 4x400m relay. Bol's biggest problem is - Sydney's just better than she is. No shame in being #2. It's better than being #20.🤣🤣🤣
Sydney is mentally disciplined, and her superb training has been honed so she's strong, all the way around, to the finish. It probably irked Femke to have Sydney in the lane behind her and when Sydney made up the stagger at 200 meters, she appeared to be demoralized and didn't turn on the gas to stay with her. If the race was any longer, she wouldn't have even placed third. I wish it was a closer race, so Sydney could have easily run sub 50.
Love the breakdown and the address of people opinions. I fully agree with the fact that Sydney is the superior athlete. I was looking forward to a closer battle between the two, but at least we got a show with the WR. Same sort of thing happened in the men’s 400m hurdles with Karsten making a weird step and falling off around the last 3 hurdles. So many odd things happened. Still love the videos, keep it up!
@@NolanMoore7767 thanks again, Nolan!
@@ks-go9imwhen did I call her a choker? Same thing with coach Caton?
The battle was Femke VS Anna Cockrell but Femke fans wouldn't see it, couldn't see it and didn't want to see it. Naw they got greedy and went after Mike Tyson of hurdles.
You 100% correct. I laughed so much after reading your beautiful response. Thanks. God bless you @@Joyce-zl4qd
They're both AMAZINNNNG. Femke's PB was at a barely legal altitude. If Sydney ran there she would dip under 50 easily. Running there was supposed to give her confidence but I think it messed with her mentally.
We saw from the 2023 world championships mixed relays, and from her Olympics experience in the 400mH that she caves when she’s under pressure. She’s great when she’s not challenged and when there isn’t a lot of pressure on her. Her mental toughness when pressed must be improved. With that being said, though, Sydney is just that good. She wasn’t going to be beat.
Femke cracked when Sydney passed her where she did. I think she expected to come off the turn even. Concentration snapped, her form broke down over the last two hurdles which cost her the silver medal. Sydney has much better core speed and her fitness allows her to hold her speed longer. Sydney also has excellent technique. Faster, more fit, better technique = Champion!
Femke is used to winding up her race as she runs. I think she was forced to go faster earlier than usual. She was cooked by the home stretch. I really enjoyed your detailed analysis ... even though it debunked what I thought. Femke showed she can falter when she fell before the line, just as she was being run down, a few weeks ago.
Bingo!
I think there is a lot of overthinking. This is not a case of someone being a better athlete right now. SML is the definition of a generational talent. She would be the best at 200m, 400m, 400mh and possibly 800m if she decided to focus on any of them. She is just one of those runners that comes along every 30-50 years. She demolished Gabby Thomas (the Olympic champion) in a 200m race a few months ago and had she run the open 400m she would have won that as well. She is just that good. Bol had her day in the sun when SML was injured and that's it. Period. This race was always in SML's hands. Bol had no say in the matter. Nobody ever really thought Bol would win, least of all her.
Precisely the point. SML is the Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Flo-Jo of this era of Track and Field and I personally think she'll be the GOAT of all T&F is she decides to go after Flo-Jo's 21.34, AFTER taking down the 400 flat WR. She has elevated a truly no-name, 4th tier event to Prime Time Must See TV. No one has ever done that.
all true and Bol ran like she wouldnt win. I have never seen anyone dominate like Sydney she is sure to get blow 50 ses soon in the 400m hurdles
THERE IS NO WAY THAT SHE CAN BEAT SHERICKA JACKSON IN THE 200M-she doesn't even have the speed of JACKSON in the 100m. Marileidy Paulino would easily beat her in the 400m and a well rested NIKISHA PRYCE would also beat her in the 400m.
@@agro-valleyfarm7217 nonsense. All of it. Jackson is a doped athlete. We all know why she couldn’t run this year. All the FloJo naysayers who can say with a straight face that Jackson the tank is clean and FloJo wasn’t. lol. Mclaughlin ran one 400m all year and was sub 49. Nobody stands a chance against her if she focuses on that race.
@@agro-valleyfarm7217 Price don't even been able to qualify for the 400 finale !
In what way does Anna passing Femke "make things worse"? For Anna they made things better. I understand that heading into this race the focus was on the Sydney/Femke matchup but the press focus on the stars throughout the Olympics coverage was disappointing and inaccurate. Anna has the most amazing positive personality and her mention as an afterthought in this video is unfair.
Bol have improved her capacity, but is an obssesion to think this is an even competition. Sidney is a superstar, The race of hers is another one (sorry for my Evglish I´m Spanish
Your English is just fine-------Your comment that it is "an obsession to think this is an even competition" is spot on.
The result is as expected!
Sifan. Hassan ran the marthon 35 hours after the 10000 and won so dont blame the 4by 4 on her losing
completly different thing.. but I agree with you that 4 by 4 wasn't the reason.
Exactly, and Femke herself said that the 4 x 400 mixed wasn't the reason either.
The explanation is simple. Sydney is a generational talent that the world will continue to chase! Yes, the mental is a factor that only comes into play when the realization that your best is far below the superior athlete you are competing against. Bol could have been in her best mental state (Wooosah Lvl 10+) and she would have still been demolished. You can't explain anything away when it comes to watching McLaughlin compete and annihilate her competition. She would have done the same in the 200m! She is in a class of her own and everyone will continue to chase her till she stops competing.
The media made it show down Bol is not in Sydney league.
Appreciate this breakdown. Mirrors what I've been saying but I'm still getting trolled by 'Femke Fanboys' that can't get over that she didn't win. Crazy.
She was given a mental beat down once Sydney started pulling away so easily.
Great Vid Mike! Thanks for updating and reposting. I too agree that Femke, in this instance, choked under the pressure. This is not the first instance when she has underperformed during an intense race. She should work on mental preparation and she would have given Anna, who had a huge PR, a better challenge for the Silver.
@@albertjackson832 agreed. Thanks for your comment.
I think she would have won silver. She is faster than Anna.
In the post race press conference Bol said that trying to keep up with Syd early is why she blew up at the end. I wouldn’t call a tactical decision to go for the glory of Gold and failing chocking.
@@justinforster7777 Mike gave the break down of her race and tactical decision or not, she was running at a pace consistent with previous races. Perhaps she was going for Gold but her usual technically sound performance fell apart. There was a psychological component to her performance that was identified not as a criticism but as a hope for optimal performance in the future.
I’m not a pro athlete but I understand that the mental aspect is as important or more important than the physical training. There are studies about mentally going through the routine (running a race, jumping, throwing a disk, etc) that confirm that the body actually “thinks” that it’s actually doing it for real!
My Dear Coach,
your concluding remarks are really excellent, but the mental espect is often neglected.
"So coaches & athletes remember... yes, the physical part of the training & racing is incredibly important, but you can't FORGET the mental part you've to make sure that you're mentally ready & know what you're getting into, so no matter that Finish Line ..."
Could I rephrase it as follows:
You should get everything, BOTH Physically & Mentally exceptionally well prepared before the very START of the tournament.
I really appreciate your pertinent & useful remarks!
Thanks for the reposted great video!
I watched the Paris Olympics and thoroughly enjoyed the competition and quality of performances. One thing that stands out to me is how well US hurdlers did in this Olympics. If I recall correctly, they won gold in all the hurdle events, male and female. Can you comment on the status of US hurdling on the world scene on your UA-cam channel? Golds: Sydney; Rai; Grant; Massei. That is simply amazing dominance. Thanks for your thorough, balanced, fair assessment of all athletes and their accomplishments.
How about some credit to the Maestro, Bobby Kersee? He's been doing this for 40 years.
They've met 3 times. Bol has come in THIRD 2 out of 3 times.
She'll never catch up.
Dont forget the mental aspect. Femke started at her best (as the timesplits show) AND still Sydney was closing with worldrecord speed. Femke felt that from hurdle one.
Great assessment!👏
I Hope and Pray Femke is ok now. And my congratulations to Sidney!💪🎉🎊🥇
What a great great run for her career!
God bless you with more good health, strength, happiness and peaceful life ahead🙏💞💙💙💙
Why aren't you also congratulating Anna Cockrell for beating Bol?
Sydney is just better than Femke Bol. There's no shame in that.
Lots of evidence to consider the mental aspect is what thwarted Femke. If so, I'm sure she will study and overcome that as she continues to improve. But I still think she was also a bit drained from her previous races. She said in the after race interview, when asked about that, that was not the case though. I'm looking forward to her future accomplishments.
@@dropthumb2 I like your balance! Thanks for your input.
I appreciated how honest Bol was in the post race presser. Owned up to going out too fast to stay with Syd as the reason she had nothing at the end
STOP LIEING..She ran one race 4 days prior? what previous race{s)
Excuses😂😂 loser
If fatigue had any role in this, I would say it’s because she has raced so much this year. She raced a busy indoor season and then went right outside and continued running hard.
Sydney is the goat
New fan of the channel!!! Keep coming with the great content buddy
@@Birds-6ers thanks! I really really appreciate that!
Bol tried to keep pace with Sydney until halfway through the race. But it was too fast for her which made her explode in the straight line!
Great point about Bol seeing Sydney go by her faster than anyone ever before. It reminds me of the 1972 Olympic men’s 400 final.
That’s exactly what happened to David Jenkins of England. He 0:03 said when America’s Fred Newhouse went into the “twilight zone” and passed the first 200 meters in about 20.2. A friend of mine from Europe said Jenkins told him that he was crushed and thought something was wrong causing him to rerun so slow😂
I’ve experienced that myself when I came to college thinking that I was a powerful runner. However, one day the relay was switched around an I was moved from third leg to second. I knew I was running against the number one 200 meter runner in the world, I thought, that’s ok, they are on our outside and we will be ahead when when I get the baton…I’ll stay with him.
Well…you really had to be in my position to see what transpired😅we WERE, ahead, but when he got the baton and shifted gears, it was a jaw dropping moment. No one had ever passed me up and pulled away that fast. I still have that image etched in my memory of him pulling away from me as if I were mearly striding.
My coach later told me, you ran great, but this is where the big dogs run🤣
Great analysis, I previously thought Bol went for the gold and ran too fast the first half, but you gave a compelling analysis that changed my mind. McLaughlin is just a great talent and competitor. Thank you for sharing.
The rivalry was based on Femke running two recent fast times, although Sydney had world record and great form, if Femke had ran a PB and Sydney was injured or had a bad day, the race might be closer or Femke might get past Sydney. Form counts as many champions got beaten at Paris. Nothing is certain. Clearly Sydney was in the form of her life
At every major competition Sydney breaks her world record. She knows how to get in form just at that moment. When she breaks her record at the trials you can be sure she will do it again!
Good analysis of the race. Kersee prepared sydney well having her run the 200m and 400m to make her a better athlete than Bol.
Femke Bol, great as she is, has the misfortune of competing against the GOAT. In the chess world, Magnus Carlsen had made worldclass competition look silly for about a decade. Likewise Sydney McLaughlin makes everyone else look ... ordinary. I agree with you: psychologically Femke is in a rough spot.
Like Sydney is having the "Magnus effect" on other runnners.
@@runninreb9142 Exactly. Somebody understands me!
@@todesque Any particular channels you watch?
@@runninreb9142 Chess or track?
@@todesque Sorry, Chess.
Bol is fragile mentally and emotionally. She’s great as chasing people down, but once she’s challenged, she crumbles. One example is the final of the mixed relay at World’s where Alexis Holmes caught her in the anchor leg and was about to pass her at the finish line. Femke was so discombobulated, she tripped and fell. Crawled across the finish line.
In this race, she was so shook by Sydney’s powerful lead, she stutter stepped the last hurdle and let Anna pass her.
@@jadeshand2990 you could be right. Thanks for the comment.
Very much disagree with this. She's very strong. There's literally no examples of her crumbling in the last 2 years since she last raced Sydney. Was the moment too much? Maybe, but the "always crumbles" thing doesn't have merit.
@@ryc5513 Apparently you didn’t read my whole comment because I mentioned an occasion that happened earlier this year at Worlds. And that’s the very reason the American coach put Alexis Holmes as the anchor in the 4x400 at the Olympics. She would be competing against Femke in that leg. However, in the long run it didn’t matter, the lead Sydney and Gabby had given her was way too much to overcome, even for an exceptional athlete like Femke.
@@ryc5513so let's just agree she's not as fast as people thought. Two olympics with same result.
@@pgarciaAP Genuinely not trying to start an argument here, but I disagree. I think Femke is as advertised. She's as fast as any sensible person thought she was, maybe faster. Getting third in your premier event is tough, but everyone can have a bad day. Noah had the 100m of his life one day and got 3rd again on his worst day. And look at what she did in the 4x4's.
What I can agree on is that Sydney is currently in a league of her own with Femke being a distant, but true, number 2.
This should be titled Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone VS Anna Cockrell
Sydney's focused on one opponent: 50 seconds. Leave it at that. Why is this video making Femke out as some kind of victim. Of herself? Of Sydney, who couldn't care less about anything other than doing her best sd she was focused on the clock and the record the whole time? C'mon, folks! These comparisons are getting stupid.
Fact!
I agree with you about Femke not being mentally tough enough in comparison with Sydney on that day. I still think that Femke shouldn’t have ran the mixed 400 relay race days before. Sydney didn’t run it. Femke should’ve saved her energy and not done it. Also, Sydney is coached by Bobby Kersee. Just saying.
I understand the media needed to hype this matchup but Femke was never going to beat Sydney because Sydney is just better! She owns the top 3 fastest times, Femke has never beaten Sydney, and Femke's best time is almost .3/s slower than Sydney's 3rd best time. Femke is just not on Sydney's level yet, and may never be.
Most informative , Thanks for the update
SYDNEY IS THE GOAT EVERY TIME HER AND FEMKE BOL RACE FEMKE BOL ALWAYS FINISH THIRD ONETIME SECOND SHE'S KNOW WAY ON SYDNEY LEVEL AND WILL NEVER BE GET OVER IT.
Hopefully we see more races with both of them this year Anna has also entered the chat this must have boosted her confidence as well
Probably not. McLaughlin goes back into hibernation and Bol will run at the Diamond League meeting in Poland next month. As of next year, McLaughlin will run at GST meetings and Bol at DL meetings.
@@TravelMate2006 i mean we can hope
I love Femke Bol....God Bless Her..
NBC hyped up this non rivalry and it was kind of insulting. Femke is a talented athlete but she was NEVER on Syds level. NEVER!!!!!!
And NBC wasn't the only ones who hyped up this race. It was hyped by Femke's fans all year leading up to the games.
Sydney ‘s personal best was better than Bol . So, it is clear that Sydney will win . Bol’s cannot accept this reality . Bol is a nice person . She is lucky to be the podium . 4th person American athlete was very close to Bol . Bol was dominating the whole year because Sydney didn’t run due to injury .
I was hoping for a sweep.
USA was awesome at Paris. Feeding off of each others energy. 2028 is going to be amazing with the hometown advantage. I foresee records being broken. I can’t wait.
I think this is a fair appraisal.
Besides bol said that extra race had nothing to do with the 400m hurdles. Sydney just broke her
Yup! Sydney broke her----------Bol was trying to compete with someone that she was incapable of beating-----and found that out on the track.
She's a front runner. She faced her biggest rival and she wilted.
there is no rivalry. She has never been competitive against Sydney
@@odumosuolusegun2781 Bol ran a 50.95... She's definitely a rival. She doesn't perform well head to head but it's about times.
@@kaii231 at altitude. She has never ran anything remotely close to that. She is a mid 51: runner. A rival is someone who pushes you and run-in races where she sometimes beats you.. Bol is near seen on the screen in any race Sydney appears in. She is always miles ahead.
Definition
competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field. Key word Competition: superiority. Femke has been super inferior in all races against Sydney and bothering on mediocre really with near 4th place finishes
You are who you are when it counts.
Thanks for the comment!
Femke Bol got her ass beat down. Period.
It's a fair point of view, the mental aspect is such an important factor.
Alexander Doom from Belgium is a nice example of mental strenght.
Never got proper support and even thought about quitting in 2023, but this year he became WC Indoor and EC Outdoor in the 400m.
That already is impressive, but during the EC, he already had his injury wich costed him the finals at the Olympics eventually and the coach expected him to get maximum second place.
Yet, despite running with lots of pain, he won gold with even a CR.
I still regret that Femke didn't perform better, was rooting for her.
I will agree with what you just said!
What about Anna Cockrell running a PB. That's a story in itself. I think Bol choked...to much pressure. Bol had plenty of time to rest after the mixed relay. Bottom line...it was her mental state. But really 1-2 finish...amazing.
I agree completely. As I told others, it's no coincidence that Femke's collapse occurred immediately after Sydney passed her on the left in the turn. Anyone that knows track has seen this type of mental collapse before. Femke showed that lack of mental toughness at the 2023 World Championships when she fell after being challenged at the line in the mixed relays. She is going to have to learn that mental toughness necessary to become a champion at this event.
@@helgar791 THANK YOU!
@@helgar791 or Sydney move onto another event 😂
@@acemethodcoaching9102 Which is what I'm hoping. The reality is Sydney has nothing more to prove in this event and that steroid enhanced record of Koch's needs to be removed from the record books.
@@ks-go9im But no one pressed her in the 2023 world championship 400mh-------When people talk about Bol not having the mental toughness, we are talking about when the stakes are high and the pressure is on, is she able to overcome that? the answer is NO-----She choked in the Budapest 4x400 mixed relay because she panicked when she saw Alexis Holmes close to her------Indeed, Bol herself admitted this was the case-------No world-class should panic the way she did in the world championship--------She is not mentally tough to handle these high pressured races on the global-----------Bol wins easily when there is no pressure because it allows her to run her own race-----However, if you put pressure on her, she will fold easily like a cheap bedsheet from motel 6🤣🤣🤣
Let’s see you step up - the laughing emoji are just obnoxious, as if you could do better
She explained in an interview that she went out too fast and ran out of steam. She wasn’t running her own race.
Yep she ran Sydney's race.
Yes, with all respects to the commentator and people in the comments, I put a lot more weight into Bol herself and her coach's assessment. She went out too fast. She normally closes like a freight train, her last 80 yards is as fast or faster than anyone in the world. I find it very hard to believe that she completely fell apart and lost 2 seconds down the straightaway due to mental anguish.. was she likely to win, no. But we all know she should have been second in 50.7. Does she have work to do, most definitely. She will need to return with a new mindset that she is the next break the world record. Honestly, I feel so blessed to have these two athletes in the same event and running multiple events and they are so young we have years of entertainment and jaw-dropping performances ahead of us. Go Femke and Syd
@@Joyce-zl4qd Yes. Sydney imposed her will on Femke.
@@yurikriegel2553 I really think you are over hyping her. She ran just one 50.95 at altitude. She has not run shown convincingly she is a sub 51 runner, now you talk of 50.7? This kind of expectations is exactly what is wrong. Running one race at altitude at 50.95 is different from running the rounds and final at a big championship. I think the big celebration and fear should be how can Sydney run all those rounds and still run a 50.37.Femke has never shown that she can run over 51.5 when she has to go through the rounds..
Exactly, I think Femke got shocked and awed, then discouraged when they turned the corner, and she saw Sidney far ahead. She was so psyched out that she slowed down to a jog, literally giving up the silver medal to Anna without a fight.
Given their closeness in age I really don’t see Femke ever beating Sydney in the 400h unless Sydney just retires after LA 28. That said, it’s quite possible that Sydney may run the 400 flat in LA and could possibly break a record in that event as well…and shall we dare say the 200 flat? The possibilities seem endless with her and the talent gap is too wide for Femke to challenge her.
200m is the move
Femke is never going to beat Sydney------As you rightly pointed out, the talent gap is wide---------Indeed, there is not a single thing that Femke Bol does better than Sydney in athletes------------Sydney is much faster than her; Sydney is technically a better hurdler than her; and it is obvious that Sydney has more stamina than her and does not get tired easily than her------And above all, Sydney understands what is required to win in high pressured moment-----Bol is incapable of performing under those circumstances.
Femke said it herself in the press conference after the race that she "went too crazy" at the start and paid for it at the end of the race.
Femke may have hit her normal times at the start, but she was pushing too hard to keep up with Sydney. Femke's normal plan is to give a little ground in the back and make it up in the kick. But Sydney's pace out of the blocks and through the back disrupted Femke, who had to keep her within striking distance for the last 100m. She over pursued and fatigued, which caused her foot work issues on the last hurdles.
She tried to push for gold, and it cost her the silver. Femke is a great runner, though. No criticism, she made a choice, and it didn't work out on the day.
Yes, I think Femke got psyched out by Sydney's late speed. When she "saw the tail lights" pulling away, her usual strong finish just wasn't going to happen.
When you think you are a Ferrari but really more of a Ford Focus.
@@pgarciaAP 😂😂😂
I think for Femke being so dominant last season just did not have the experience of challenging for a win but with Syd her competition with Delilah in the 2019 and pool of excellent talent in the us was good training ground plus i think her body and mind is generally stronger and healthy at this point but i do think in a more relaxed race with less pressure we could see better perfomance from Bol
On point. Her decision to concentrate on just the 400m hurdles competition was truly a wise decision beautifully executed. Anna was doubtless spurred by Sydney.
I always felt Femke should switch to the outdoor 400m for better competition...beating the same subpar European hurdlers was and is not going to prepare her for Sydney.
Bol is amazing, but Sydney is otherworldly. I think she will break 50 and move on to the 400 and possibly the 200.
The Bol mixed relay wasn’t the problem. She had plenty of time between the two. Also, recovering from a 400 isn’t like recovering from a marathon.
Bol is very complimentary and no excuses. It’s hard not to root for her.
Ok coach like to hear more.. and I hope you can produce an olimpics champion
...all being professed..
I don’t think she was fatigued. gabby ran multiple races; 2-relays and 200m. Two of Gabby’s races were closer in days(Aug. 9&10) than Femke’s. I know hurdles are different and my comparison with Gabby to femke is only related to fatigue. Femke was placed next to Sydney who is very strong mentally and physically than Femke. Femke probably got psyched out mentally and everything changed but she still did fine to get bronze.
Just to put things into perspective: Femke's 'subpar' performance in the Olympic final is still the 19th best ever performance in this discipline. From this viewpoint, her performance is an equivalent of 9.76 s in men's 100 m sprint, or 92.72 m in men's javelin.
Femke need to ask Coach Bobby Kersee to Coach her if she wants to run and win like Sydney.
I wish Femke had been at her best. I still don't think she would have won, but the race would have been more epic. Maybe Sydney would have gone even faster with a more sustained competition.
I agree i was hoping for a showdown but i think this is one one of her worst perfomances atleasst in the last 2 years
Femke was at her best------she executed a poor race and was also terrified of Sydney--------there was nothing physically wrong with her-----------She is simply not on Sydney's level and was no threat to competing with her ---------She was outclassed by a far superior athlete.
Sydney just owns the 400 hurdles, I don't think she could be beaten on a bad day. Femke is a multi discipline runner who is great at several races. Would be interesting to see Sydney run the 400 and 200. Sydney vs. Femke in the 400m would be incredible.
I am sure, there will be more runs to come in which we can watch a different race and a stronger Bol.
I agree that Femke melted away in the latter half due to seeing Sydney just accelerating away from her at an ever-increasing rate which Femke had no answer fore.
When I watched I felt is looked like Bol did not come out of Hurdle 7 and 10 well, If you watch she is catching Cochran on the stager and has passed her as they get to 7 but upon landing that 7th Bol did not seem to have any explosion on the next step and this happens again at 10 she lost a lot of ground in the first two steps after landing the jumps. In an interview she says some how she had lactic acid build up but could not figure out why...I didn't think Bol could win but I thought it would be closer
Thanks for sharing this!
I think Femke should drop the mixed relay from her program in 2028. That is really more of a carnival event than anything else, anyway.
Agreed, I don’t get it either.
Actually that gold medal was dollars in Bol's pocket so I get why she did that. If you really wanna see how much Syd is in her head, go look at the after race interview with no sound. And just watch, notice the behavior of each. Syd nearly didn't even look at the others. So did Anna. The one who is spooked is Bol, she could not take her eyes of Syd. That tells you she really needs to focus and lock out the noise. At least that's my opinion.
Some can fact check me on this but this Olympics had a number of athletes dabble in other events before their main event and they performed less than stellar in their main events.
@@hakuakua3020 Bol looked really nervous, even in the tunnel before they came on the track---that was when I said this woman had already lost the race before it started---She looked really really unsettled---her face was tensed------But then again, Sydney would do that to many athletes, and Bol is not excluded----She is not on Sydney's level and sensed it when they were close------Nuit Nuit, Bol!
@@kobbieafriyie2172 Kind of like Rocky Balboa looked at the start of his first fight against Clubber Lang!!
@@kobbieafriyie2172 Take a look at the nightcap segment where Sharpe was talking to Quincy Hall about how Syd is all business. She don't smile, talk, chat or any of that.
Mental, I think Sydney broke her spirit
Sydney owns Femka’s Mind!
Living in there rent free...
Great breakdown of this race buddy and my brother and I said Femke just didnt look right mentally . Im not saying she was going to win but something happened she was freaked out by Sydney , man Styney is like a cyborg a cold blooded killer all concentration and Sydney is all class too the best at it and a wonderful person . I was so distraught for poor Femke though I love her . To see her break donw and cry it bothered me . And in the comments people made fun of her of course . She seems very sweet and sensitive and not mentally prepared to see Sydney run past her like a rocket she kind of gave up . I knew Sydney would win but i thought Femke would be near Sydney I thouhgt the race would be closer . Sydney is a killer though the way she came out in the 400 relay it was like someone shot her out of a cannon
@@RickDanner thanks for the feedback! I’ll note the volume.
"I knew Sydney would win but I thought Femke would be near Sydney I thought the race would be close"😅😅😅---------You, Rick, fell for the media hype and drank the Koolaid or should I say the Bolaid, lol-------------------The race was never going to be close----For the race to be close, you must first believed that Sydney and Bol were equals but they are not-------Sydney is on a much higher level that Bol will not reach----sorry
@@RickDanner Calm down, Buddy---you drank the Koolaid------nothing wrong with that------Lots of other people fell for this lie and hype that she was going to compete with Sydney and beat her blah blah blah----don't be ashamed----you were not the only victim-----------😅😅
How confident can you be concluding that Femke Bol's slowdown late in the race was mental as opposed to physical?
Agree that the pace was within her range, but if she happened to be on a worse day physically (for whatever reason - agree it wasn't the anchor leg 5 days prior), would that have generated a result that looked different from getting psyched out mentally?
I'm a sports sociologist and was a distance runner, but don't have the knowledge about hurdle step sequencing to be able to say anything from that.
@@TimCupery you may be right. This is all just speculation. Thanks for the input.
Sydney also has a better technique than Femke. Not just her speed and strength
Perhaps being coached by Bobby Kersey has something to do with it as well - he has her training a range of other events.
A very balance review.
Had Femke being in another lane not next to Sidney things could have been different? An inner lane perhsps.
How would you go about preparing someone Femke to be mentally strong to face off with the likes of Sidney since on another day the result could have been reverse?
American athetles Nilys, Richardson , Thomas in these competitions do carry themselves with an air of arrogance. Should athetles from other nations develope that similar personna?
It’s mental challenging when you read times posted by Sydney prior to the Olympics and each run a world record.
What happened is Bol tried to stay with Sydney rather than run her own race. As a result, she went out too fast and faded in the stretch. Also, she understandably suffered a mental letdown when she saw how far ahead Sydney was, which allowed Cockrell to overtake her at the end.
Femke lost her heart is all. And when cockrell passed her up that was the straw that broke the camels back.
You are spot on in your assessment of this race Sir.
Both two are great runner, Bol put more energy on NED team relay
It's a miracle the US took gold in the women's 400 relay with Sydney being exhausted from running a world record in a hurdle event. 😮
STRANGE THAT sYDNEY BROKE THE WORLD RECORD and went on to more destruction of Femke with her tired legs in the relay
I wonder if things would have been different of the lane draw had placed FB inside SML? I'm not saying that FB would have won, but FB seems to excel as a chaser (eg the relays) and it maybe would have created a different mental picture to the one she had, which was of SML appearing inside her and then disappearing?..........
Bol had a choice in her lane draw. She could have chosen lane 4 instead she chose 6.
@@jeffreybrown4906 OK - didn't know that - thanks.
Femke is tough, you can see how she digs in and finishes strong against everyone else when she knows she’s better - but agree she does seem to wilt against Sydney.
Maybe her mental strength is based on comparison. She knows and believes to her bones she’s better than the other athletes, so when the chips are down, she can dig in, call on that belief, and beat them.
But that same comparison to Sydney, spotlights her belief that Sydney is better, so when she goes to call on that strength against Sydney, what’s there is instead a belief that she CANNOT win.
Two Olympics, same result. If anyone was running against Sydney you have to be thinking "she can lower her world record today" that's got to be a huge mental obstacle.
@@pgarciaAPtotally - and she was in sparkling form here, 47.9 relay split and a sub 51 on the hurdles a few weeks prior. So to not get close to Sydney when she’s in that kind of form, it will be a big scar. It’s hard to imagine her getting over it.
@@Ineddiblehulk a near 51 at altitude.....and a single race, not running on the big stage with rounds to get through. I think you people should be scared that Sydney Rana low 50 even after running the rounds! Femkes records when she has to run through rounds is in the low 51s!
@@odumosuolusegun2781I think you people need to explain how this in any way relates to my point
@@Ineddiblehulk sub 51 at altitude. Her history with running rounds has never produced anything near 51 low or sub 50. Her best is in Budapest nd that was 51.7 close to Anna's time. She does well in one of races though but even that, her best is 51.3. The 50.95 is at altitude. We will believe when she produces it away from Altitude. Your stats ignores the fact that she never has produced these kind of times when she has to go through rounds or away from altitude.
I just think it’s funny that in the lead upto the Olympics people were touting Bol as the next up and coming athlete that is going to take the events by storm, and she was going to knock out McLachlan. But like bro she is 24 and McLachlan is 25 they are both at their peak, and they will both likely leave their peak at the same time. If Bol could not beat her now, then I don’t think she will ever beat her. I think Bol could be the greatest in a different era, but not in one dominated by McLachlan.
Everyone peaked differently. Shelly ann didnt break 10.7 until 2021, she broke 22 sec finally in 2022.
Sydney is like Rafa Nadal used to be on clay at Roland Garros... a wrecking ball.