Bol breaks own 400 indoor world record

Femke Bol broke her 400-meter indoor world record on Sunday at the Netherlands’ national championships, finishing in 49.24 seconds to shave two-hundredths of a second off the record she set a year ago.

Bol, the 400-meter hurdles world champion, set the record less than two weeks before the World Indoor Athletic Championships open in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

“It’s a dream come true to run another world record and it’s wonderful to have all these Dutch fans enjoying the most beautiful sport in the world,” Bol said in her trackside interview.

She bettered her own record from a year ago that itself broke a 40-year-old record of 49.59 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova on March 7, 1982.

Lieke Klaver finished second behind Bol in 50.10 at the Omnisport stadium in Apeldoorn and Cathelijn Peeters was third in 52.08. golds earlier in the championships in the mixed 4x100 medley relay and men’s 100 backstroke.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem defended her title, and just missed out on beating her own world record of 23.61, when she won the women’s 50 free in 23.69. American Kate Douglass finished second in 23.91.

Isaac Cooper of Australia won the men’s 50 backstroke in 24.13. He started strongly and held off the defending champion and world record holder Armstrong by .20 seconds.

China topped the table on the gold-medal count. It had 33 medals overall — including 23 golds — while the United States was second with nine golds among an overhaul haul of 23. Australia was third overall with 24 medals but fewer golds (seven).