BUDAPEST — Femke Bol produced an astonishing final leg to snatch gold for the Netherlands in a thrilling women´s 4×400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships.
Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh finally broke through and won the gold medal in the Women’s high jump final with a leap of 2.01 meters (6 feet, 7 inches).
Anchor Bol took the baton in third place, almost 20 metres adrift of leaders Jamaica and behind Britain and was still well adrift of both going into the final straight.
Bol, who fell just short of the finishing line in the 4x400m mixed relay on opening night then won individual gold in the 400m hurdles, overhauled Britain’s Nicole Yeargin and then edged Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams on the line.
The Dutch clocked 3:20.72, Jamaica´s second successive silver came in 3:20.88, with Britain taking bronze in 3.21.04
The United States women, who had won seven of the last eight World Championships and the last seven Olympic golds, were absent after being disqualified after a botched baton changeover in the semi-finals.
Mahuchikh’s final jump of the evening came only seconds after hurdles champion Bol of The Netherlands, who fell and cost her country a medal at the end of the mixed 4×400 relay, overcame a 20-meter deficit with about 80 to go to give the Dutch the win in the women´s version of the race.
Watching Bol reel in a British runner, then a Jamaican one, then cross the finish line in the lead, was easily the most outlandishly exciting 20 seconds of the nine-day meet in Budapest, which is only a short plane flight from Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv.
But nothing compared to the theatre Mahuchikh delivered in her two hours on the stage. That she was here at all was a testament to her courage, persistence and the assistance she’s received from far and wide.
The 21-year-old, wearing eyeliner colored the same blue and yellow as her country´s flag, was forced to leave quickly from her hometown of Dnipro when the war started. She said she saw artillery shells raining down as she road in the car on her way out.
She has trained in Germany and, most recently, in Belgium, where her mother, sister and niece are also living. Her father remains in Dnipro. Her grandma passed away in February back in Ukraine.
She has only been home once – at the beginning of this year – and hopes to go again when track season is over. Dnipro had been relatively safe at the outset of the fighting, but it has since become a target in the war.
“It’s really difficult mentally,” she said. “But I have big support from my coach, fans, friends. They tell me you represent our country and you will come back to us.”
Meanwhile, the United States maintained their vice-like grip of the men´s 4×400 metres relay when they emphatically won their ninth world gold from the last 10 finals. The US, who has also won four of the last five Olympic golds, came home well clear in 2:57.31.
Quincy Hall and Vernon Norwood built an early lead before Justin Robinson, who also got a gold in the mixed 4×400 on the opening night, stretched it to give anchor Rai Benjamin a virtual lap of honour.
France took silver as a national record 2:58.45 gave them their first medal of the championships in the penultimate event.
Britain took bronze in 2:58.71, holding off back to back silver medallists Jamaica.
