Rooth wins decathlon as Bol thrills again in relay
Norway’s Markus Rooth became the youngest Olympic decathlon champion for 44 years taking gold at Paris 2024.
The 22 year old, who won gold at last year’s European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland, claimed the biggest title of all in the Stade de France on Saturday (3), holding his nerve as contenders fell by the wayside.
The pole vault became pivotal. Defending Olympic champion Damian Warner of Canada and Rooth’s international team-mate Sander Skotheim were sitting in silver and bronze. Yet, both no heighted in the eighth discipline.
Final flourish grabs gold for Rooth
But Rooth cleared a personal best of 5.30m and then launched the javelin out to a mighty 66.87m, another personal best to take control of the competition. In contrast, long-time leader Leo Neugebauer faltered slightly with a best of 5.00m in the pole vault and 56.64m in the javelin.
It left Rooth in prime position going into the 1500m with 8113 to Neugebauer’s 8097 and as the stronger runner on paper, the likely winner. Rooth could rely on team-mate Skotheim, who sportingly paced Root round, despite his own chances having disappeared in the pole vault.
Rooth ran to a season’s best 4:39.56 in 11th and with Neugebauer five places behind in 4:44.67, gold was secured for Norway with a total of 8796. Neugebauer won silver with 8748 and bronze went to Lindon Victor of Grenada with 8711.
Brilliant Bol final leg seals Dutch gold
Femke Bol produced a signature storming final leg to grab mixed 4x400m gold for the Netherlands. Following opening legs by Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver and Isaya Klein Ikkink, she was fourth heading into the final lap, but – crucially – within ten metres of the USA’s Kaylyn Brown at the front.
Led off by Alexander Doom, the men’s 400m individual winner at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, Belgium were in the thick of the action throughout. Their anchor leg runner Naomi Van den Broeck was poised on the American’s shoulder at the changeover with Great Britain also well in contention in third with Amber Anning on the final leg.
But all eyes were on the charging Bol, and she timed her run to perfection, bursting past Anning, who had in turn moved past Van de Broeck. Then as the line neared, Brown faded and Bol pounced, banishing memories of the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships where she tumbled in the closing strides handing gold to the USA.
As well as gold, the Netherlands quartet also claimed a new European record in 3:07.43, USA clocked 3:07.74 for silver and Great Britain won bronze in a national record of 3:08.01.
