This Dutch Runner Smashed Her Own Record And Then Went Viral Because Of Her Voice
“I swear if you close your eyes, you could convince yourself Mickey Mouse has just broken the 400m indoor world record for Netherlands…”
A Dutch athlete has gone viral after her voice during a post-race interview was compared to that of Mickey Mouse’s, drawing mixed reactions from people online.
On Saturday Mar. 2, track star Femke Bol broke the 400-meter world record at 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, smashing the previous world record she had set just two weeks ago.
The 24-year-old finished in 49.17 seconds, almost a second ahead of her teammate, who came second.
In a post-race interview with BBC sport, she said, “It was amazing. It was such a strong race. We are all running so fast, multiples running in the 50[seconds], so I knew I had to go out fast.”
A fan caught the change in the pitch of her voice and posted the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption, “I swear if you close your eyes, you could convince yourself Mickey Mouse has just broken the 400m indoor world record for Netherlands.”
The post went viral shortly with more than 23 million views.
Some people celebrated Bol’s achievements while also acknowledging the accuracy of the comparison.
Others called the comparison rude, saying Bol deserves better than being made fun of, calling her “ finest sportswoman on the planet right now.”
Bol told CNN that her goal is to be in 49 seconds.
Before Bol broke the world record twice in a row in two weeks, the last world record for 400 meters was 50.06 seconds, set by Russia’s Olesya Krasnomovets-Forsheva in 2006.
