Viewers were left very confused after hearing Dutch athlete Femke Bol speak for the first time.
The Netherlands star, 24, stunned during the mixed 4x400m relay final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, playing a huge part in helping her team secure a gold medal last week.
She returned to the track for the women’s 400m hurdles final last night (8 August), ultimately securing bronze behind Team USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Anna Cockrell.
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After winning two medals at the games, you’d think most of the conversation around Bol would be about her talent on the track, however another very bizarre discussion point has since emerged.
Femke Bol has won bronze in the women’s hurdles and gold in the mixed relay. (Andre Weening/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Social media users were alerted to Bol’s unusually high-pitched voice after hearing a post race interview with her and a teammate from the Glasgow World Indoor Championships back in March and – because it’s the internet – it didn’t take long for the Mickey Mouse jokes to begin flooding in.
“Real life footage of the mixed 4×4 finish,” one person wrote on X, alongside an image of Mickey Mouse running a race, while another said: “Femke Bol is one of the premier athletes of her generation but I can’t get over that squeaky voice.”
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“If you close your eyes you would think Mickey Mouse has just broken the 400m indoor world record,” a third person added, referring to Bol’s record-breaking finish at the Glasgow indoor games.
The question on everybody’s mind right now is, of course, whether or not this is Bol’s actual voice or if she puts it on for the cameras – and thankfully the Dutch athlete has been able to set the record straight herself.
Clarifying the change in her voice during a recent interview Bol explained that the squeakiness is down to the adrenaline from running the race.
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“It’s not a huge compliment but it is what it is, I am who I am,” she replied when asked about going viral, which had been uploaded to TikTok.
“It is always like this when I get out of breath and I get happy – it goes up, up, up. And after a world record I am pretty happy and pretty exhausted.”
The Dutch athlete has addressed her voice going viral. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Despite the memes, Bol has even been able to see a funny side to the comparisons, joking that she should pursue a career in voice acting after she finishes as an athlete.
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“Maybe I’ll find a career for after track,” she added.
Upcoming Mickey Mouse reboot with Bol playing the titular character? Watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: BBC/Andre Weening/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Topics: Olympics, Sport
