Olympic champion Femke Bol has announced that she is swapping the 400m hurdles for the 800m in a shock change of career.The Dutch track star is a five-time gold medallist in the hurdles event across European and international competitions. Bol is a hurdles champion, but is now embarking on a new track challengeGettyBol also won gold in the 4x400m mixed relay at the 2024 Olympics and was crowned the World Indoor Champion.“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent,” her teammate Eugene Omalla said via ESPN after their mixed relay triumph in Paris for the Dutch.However, Bol is now set to double her distance after revealing she will move into the 800m event from next season.As quoted by Athletics Weekly, she explained why she has chosen to ditch the hurdles.Why has Femke Bol swapped distances?She said: “The 400m hurdles provided me with unforgettable moments and shaped me into the athlete I am today.“But I want to challenge myself again and push my boundaries. “The 800m is new and unfamiliar territory, and that’s precisely what makes it so interesting. “The training approach will be different from what I’m used to and it will require a lot of perseverance to develop at this distance and achieve my goal – competing at the highest level.”Bol also revealed on the news in an Instagram post and expressed her excitement at the new opportunity that awaits.And taking to the comments, British track star and 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson said: “Can’t wait to share the startline.”Bol is set to compete in 800m events going forwardGettyHodgkinson will offer strong competition if they take to the track togetherGetty View this post on Instagram A post shared by Femke (@femke_bol)Hodgkinson’s rise to 800m gloryBritish athletics has produced a long list winning talent such as Sir Mo Farah, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Dame Kelly Holmes.And Hodgkinson looks set to join them, with the 23-year-old already one of the world’s best in the 800m event.She won silver on her Olympic debut at the 2021 games, finishing just 0.67 seconds behind Athing Mu-Nikolayev in Tokyo.Hodgkinson then went a step further last summer by winning gold to become the third such British female medallist in the distance.A hamstring injury disrupted her start to 2025 and she finally ran 376 days after her Paris triumph at the Diamond League in Silesia.Hodgkinson then won her third World Championship medal by taking bronze in Tokyo last month.Hodgkinson is the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 800mGettyShe also won the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, and was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours list.The European Athletics Championships return in 2026 in Birmingham, where Hodgkinson could face Bol for the first time.