Bol to skip indoors

I thought you meant she was going to try the Triple Jump.

Well if anyone deserves to take a break it's her, given how much she's raced both outdoor and indoor the last few years.

Yeah true. At first I was disappointed but the Olympics cycle will have taken a lot out of her - physically and mentally. Many athletes skip indoors if they feel it doesn’t fit with their schedule.

Amen!

This is a non-story, IMHO. Bol has worked hard over the past year and she and her coaches know how she will best be prepared for the outdoor season. I'm just looking forward to a competitive race between Bol, Syd, and the rest of the 400H runners.

Worlds is in September. Everyone who expects to be there should probably delay their season a bit or take a real break between indoors and outdoors and truly make it two seasons.

still running the relays.

Good for the sport.

I think situational influence plays a huge role in this. After she unexpectedly broke the world indoor 400 record two years ago at Dutch nationals, it was hyped toward another attempt in the same meet last year. Bol delivered. And again at World Indoors.

This year there would have been the same type of expectation again, especially with European Indoors on her home track.

I'm guessing Bol simply didn't think she was at level, given a logical decline in motivation and missing the week of training in South Africa two weeks ago. She also is transitioning to a new coach after Bram Paters departed for Belgium. He had been with Bol twice as long as Meuwly has.

Better to make this announcement now, a few weeks before Dutch nationals. Otherwise all the promotions would have focused on her 400.

If Bol had never set the world indoor record I believe she would run a full indoor slate this year.

How can she skip the indoor season when she's running at European Indoors?

I'm not sure Bram Peeters departure for Belgium is of much consequence, as Meuwly has lead her training for the last 5+ years, Bram focusing more on statistical analysis, as he stepped back from day-today 'directing' & coaching, which Laurent did.

I think the main thrust is simply exhaustion (mental + physical); her weeks illness in RSA (meaning she is a bit behind) & an intentional change in approach after 'only' getting individual bronze in Paris. I concede there is certainly pressure at home to set a WR at a home Champs, but I think they had already decided, with their new approach, she won't be peaking indoors at all.

Interestingly that despite an equally heavy programme last season (she may of even had more races..), Lieke Klaver is still running individually indoors. She also underachieved in her individual event, crashing out in the SF when she was aiming for the final. This tells me that it's the mental pressure side of things maybe, rather than the physical side, as the reason to Bol's decision.

promotions for Euro-indoors aren't much needed... I think the place is sold out already.

Last years even Dutch indoor nationals were completely full (check the indoor-WR race footage)

The temptation would be to think that after running heavy indoor schedules the past few years she was cooked by World's and Olympics. The idea of taking care of more things outside of sports, however, is a little worrisome.

Sydney owns her

Obviously, you dorks will praise her for this. Syd got berated on this board, but Femke "earned" the right to take indoor off.

Femke should consider taking her career off until Syd retires 😂

For the first time this is something that Kersee does that I agree with. No sense wasting time that is better spent training than running a full indoor schedule, especially after setting 2 WR's last indoor season. Nothing to prove, save those legs for outdoors. And as far as outdoors I wouldn't mind seeing her cut back a little on the racing schedule there either. Not as much as SML does, but not racing every week as well as the 21 races she ran during the outdoor season

she's not even taking it off. she's gonna be on the relays. USA fans would be thrilled if Bobby's babes did the same thing.

But that's because Femke was expected to race

But that's because Femke was expected to race