Bol blasts to meeting record in Hengelo, Jackson shines in shot put

Femke Bol delighted the home crowd with a dominant meeting record-breaking victory in the 400m hurdles, while Chase Jackson secured a statement shot put win at the FBK Games - a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting - in Hengelo on Monday (9).

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World champion Bol maintained the momentum two weeks on from achieving her fastest ever 400m hurdles season opener in Rabat, finishing just 0.05 off the time she ran there to win in Hengelo in 52.51.

The 25-year-old is using a new technique out of the blocks this season and she got out fast. Gradually moving further away from her rivals, she eventually won by two seconds as Panama's Gianna Woodruff secured second place in 54.54.

"I've done it - I've got the meeting record," said Bol, who improved her own record of 53.94 set in 2022. "To be honest, I didn't really think about a specific time or anything before the race, but I really wanted to win here in front of the home crowd.

"The first part (of the race) went really well, especially with the changes I've made recently. Obviously, I felt the pain and the lactate at the end of the race, but you just know that's coming. This result shows I'm on track. I ran faster than I usually do at this time of the year."

USA's two-time world shot put champion Jackson has also had a superb start to the season and she built on the outdoor world lead of 20.54m she set in Shanghai/Keqiao by going eight centimetres farther.

Even more impressively, she achieved that 20.62m throw in the first round of the competition, just two days on from competing in Taipei City where she also won with a throw beyond 20 metres. Including indoor meetings, the 30-year-old has surpassed the 20-metre mark in eight competitions this year and this latest winning throw is just 14 centimetres off her own national record set in Eugene in 2023.