Moving from the 400m hurdles to the 800m is a big step into a different world but it’s hugely exciting for athletics, writes Katharine Merry 

In recent years, I’ve heard a number of people saying that Femke Bol would make a great 800m runner – it’s an idea that’s been bandied about for a while now. Even still, when she announced recently that she is leaving the 400m hurdles behind and will be moving to the two-lap event, I must admit to having been really surprised. 

I thought she would have at least another season at the hurdles and, given Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s focus on the 400m, the opportunity would be there to rack up more titles and achieve a few more things over the barriers first. But I’m certainly not complaining about her decision – I think it’s massively exciting – because I suspect she’ll get very, very good at the 800m very, very quickly.

In one respect, there’s an element of bravery to the move because she’s leaving the comfort zone of the event she knows so well but, in another, she has absolutely nothing to lose. With world and European titles, as well as European records, Femke clearly feels she has achieved everything she wants to in the 400m hurdles at the moment and, as we have seen throughout her career, she certainly isn’t afraid of a challenge. In Laurent Meuwly, she also has a coach who isn’t shy of making changes and looking at things from a fresh perspective. From what I understand, his main background is sprinting so this will be a new chapter for him, too. 

Keely Hodgkinson, a good friend of Femke’s, was one of the first to say how much she is looking forward to racing her and I can already picture the 800m final at the European Championships in Birmingham next year, with the two of them and the likes of Georgia Hunter Bell coming off the final bend. That would be quite a sight to see, wouldn’t it?

I think this move underlines just what a good athlete Femke is. There aren’t many people who could make such a big switch and have what is a realistic chance of success. We’ve seen, from her 400m indoor world record of 49.17, her 500m indoor world best of 1:05.63 and all of those superb 4x400m relay performances, that she has brilliant base speed and endurance. She won’t just be messing around and certainly has the potential to do some damage, to achieve something pretty special.  

Before I get totally carried away, however, there does have to be a bit of caution, too. It's an exciting transition, but it's not a particularly easy one to make, either. When I was running fast over 400m, I had people telling me that I had potential over 800m and asking if I had considered making the move. I hadn’t because it’s not something I ever wanted to do. 

It was never part of my thinking and my plan had been to move to the 400m hurdles because  I used to hurdle when I was younger. In terms of the 800m, I just knew that I wasn't built to have that kind of endurance pace so I didn't see myself doing it.

The idea of a 400m runner moving up to double the distance is not a new phenomenon but it’s a massive leap for anyone to make – it’s a totally different event and not to be underestimated. There will be a big difference in training and the events make very different physical demands on an athlete. There will be different markers for Femke to pay attention to, different strategies and even the sound of the bell is something that will be relatively new. 

It’s also another reminder that the sport of athletics is about so much more than just running in circles. To most people, they would simply say “what’s the fuss all about? It’s only another lap” and, though there are some similarities, it’s just not the same thing. I did the Birmingham 10k a couple of times and the Great North Run and people would say to me “oh, you’re an Olympian, you’ll be great” but they just didn’t realise that these events were on a different planet to what I’d done before. It’s like being in a Ferrari one minute and then a moped the next – they are both vehicles for transport, but they're not the same.

It’s funny how, since Femke’s announcement, that I have seen Marileidy Paulino saying she will be doing a few 800s next year and there have been a few jokes that Sydney will now switch too – especially after she was asked about it at the World Championships. This could be the new trend! 

However, I think the world 400m record is very much in Sydney’s sights and that she’ll be fully occupied with that task at hand. It’s such an important record and to be able to call yourself the person that broke it would be a huge achievement. I think she’s capable of it, too. If she can put just a little more into that top bend, then the record will fall. 

There’s a mental shift to make, too, when you move away from an event you’ve been synonymous with. It does become part of your identity, so there will be an emotional aspect for Femke to get her head around.  

There will be adjustments to make but that's only a positive, rather than a negative, in my opinion. It would be very different if she were having to change because of an injury that meant she wasn’t fast enough any more, for example, but she’s coming at this from a position of strength, having been successful, and is able to play around a bit. I remember when I moved up from the 100m and 200m to the 400m that I found it more exciting than daunting and I hope that’s the way that Femke is viewing this. 

I think we should also be thankful that one of the biggest names in the sport has decided to stick around. She has nothing to prove to anyone but, rather than look somewhere else and step away, she is putting herself to the test in a very different manner. I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next.