American promising 400m star Talitha Diggs has explained how Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400mH rival Femke Bol subjected her to the harsh realities of competing at the highest level.
Talitha Diggs, one of America’s most promising 400m talents, has candidly admitted that Dutch sprint sensation Femke Bol gave her a harsh reality check on what it takes to compete at the highest level of track and field.
Despite dominating the NCAA circuit—winning multiple national titles, breaking the American indoor record, and even claiming a USA Championship—Diggs quickly realized that senior-level sprinting is a different challenge altogether.
Speaking on Justin Gatlin’s Ready Set Go podcast, Diggs reflected on her difficult transition from collegiate dominance to professional-level competition.
Diggs initially believed her transition to the pro circuit was going smoothly after securing victory at the Milrose Games.
Dutch champion Femke Bol has made a surprising decision to scale back her indoor season prioritizing personal time while still competing at the European Championships.
“My actual first pro race, the Milrose Games, I won, and I was like, ‘Okay, not bad. We are doing alright,’” Diggs recalled.
However, her confidence took a hit the following week at the USA Indoor Championships, where she finished behind Alexis Holmes.
“At USAs, I didn’t win. Not only did I not win, Alexis won with a 50-something while I ran a 51-something. I was like, ‘Indoors, I’m usually pretty fast. We’ll shake that.’”
But the real wake-up call came at the 2024 World Indoor Championships, where she had to go up against Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver, two of the most dominant European 400m runners.
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Heading into the World Indoors, Diggs believed she could hold her own against Bol and Klaver.
“I have a lot of respect for those girls because they compete at a high level always. But I’m a competitor, so I thought, ‘We’ll be good.’”
She was competitive in the semifinals, running close to Klaver, which gave her hope. But the final was a completely different story—as Bol shattered the world indoor record with a stunning 49.17 seconds, leaving Diggs trailing in fifth place.
“The finals is where Femke Bol got 49-low. I was like, ‘Damn.’ I got fifth. I was back in the line, and when I crossed the finish line, I thought, ‘Well, alright, we’ll go outdoors and we’ll be good.’”
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“That was my wake-up moment. ‘This is not good at all.’”
Diggs identified one key difference between college racing and professional competition—the margin for error.
“During the race, there was a moment I was asleep, and that’s all it took. In college, you can fall asleep, maneuver, and still get in front. But that little moment indoors was all it took for me to be pushed to the back.”
Although the World Indoors was a humbling experience, Diggs remains determined to adapt and improve.
