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Olympic Star Femke Bol Switches from 400m Hurdles to the 800 ahead of LA Games

FILE -Netherlands' Femke Bol celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 400 meters hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
FILE -Netherlands' Femke Bol celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 400 meters hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
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Olympic Star Femke Bol Switches from 400m Hurdles to the 800 ahead of LA Games

FILE -Netherlands' Femke Bol celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 400 meters hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
FILE -Netherlands' Femke Bol celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 400 meters hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

Dutch track star Femke Bol, the reigning two-time 400-meter hurdles world champion, has announced she will switch events to compete in the 800 meters.

The 25-year-old Bol has won two Olympic bronze medals in the 400-meter hurdles, and she ran a memorable anchor leg of the 4x400-meter mixed relay to capture gold for the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics, The AP news reported.

“I’m ready for the next challenge, a new stimulus, a completely different kind of race," Bol said in an Instagram post. “It’s different from what I’m used to in the 400m hurdles, and I’m really excited to explore that.”

Bol also won a silver medal at the Paris Games in the women’s 4x400-meter relay.

Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, the Paris Olympics champion in the 800, responded on Bol's page: “Can't wait to share the start line.”

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Crystal Palace, Fiorentina Will Head East after Conference League Knockout Playoffs Draw

William Gallas, former French international player shows a ticket of Crystal Palace FC during the UEFA Conference League 2025/26 Knockout play-offs round draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 16 January 2026. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
William Gallas, former French international player shows a ticket of Crystal Palace FC during the UEFA Conference League 2025/26 Knockout play-offs round draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 16 January 2026. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
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Crystal Palace, Fiorentina Will Head East after Conference League Knockout Playoffs Draw

William Gallas, former French international player shows a ticket of Crystal Palace FC during the UEFA Conference League 2025/26 Knockout play-offs round draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 16 January 2026. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
William Gallas, former French international player shows a ticket of Crystal Palace FC during the UEFA Conference League 2025/26 Knockout play-offs round draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 16 January 2026. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI

Crystal Palace and Fiorentina face trips to eastern Europe in the Conference League after both preseason favorites found the opening phase tough and landed in the knockout playoffs round draw Friday.

Palace is away in the first leg against Bosnian champion Zrinjski Mostar while Fiorentina — a two-time beaten finalist — will go to Poland to face Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Teams in the knockout playoffs placed ninth to 24th in the 36-team league standings that finished in December. The top eight, led by Strasbourg, advanced direct to the round of 16 which is drawn Feb. 28.

Palace and Fiorentina might have expected trips east with nine teams from former Iron Curtain countries in Friday's draw, and 10 in total in the 24-team knockout phase, The Associated Press reported.

That’s the most yet in the fifth season of UEFA’s third-tier competition that was created to give lower-ranked clubs more chances to play — and win prize money — into the second half of the season. The total Conference League prize fund is about 285 million euros ($331 million).

Kosovo is represented in a knockout phase for the first time in its nine seasons playing in UEFA club competitions: Drita is at home first against Celje of Slovenia.

North Macedonia’s Shkendija was paired with Samsunspor of Türkiye, and Armenian champion Noah will first host AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands.

First-leg games are played Feb. 19 and the returns are one week later.

Teams already in the round of 16 also include Shakhtar Donetsk, Rayo Vallecano and Mainz.

The Conference League final is in Leipzig, Germany on May 27.

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Arteta: Arsenal Building Momentum in Every Competition

14 January 2026, United Kingdom, London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Applauds the fans after the English Carabao Cup semi-final first leg soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
14 January 2026, United Kingdom, London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Applauds the fans after the English Carabao Cup semi-final first leg soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
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Arteta: Arsenal Building Momentum in Every Competition

14 January 2026, United Kingdom, London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Applauds the fans after the English Carabao Cup semi-final first leg soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
14 January 2026, United Kingdom, London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Applauds the fans after the English Carabao Cup semi-final first leg soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa

Arsenal's consistent performance should convince the players that they can achieve something historic this season, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday, with the club in contention for four trophies.

Arteta's men, who finished second in the English top-flight in the past three seasons, have a six-point lead at the top of the standings and have not lost any of their last 10 matches in all competitions.

They are also top of the table in the Champions League with six wins from six matches, have reached ⁠the FA Cup fourth round and clinched a 3-2 win at Chelsea in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

"We are building very good momentum and belief comes from performances and the level of consistency we have shown throughout 32 games this season," Arteta told ⁠reporters before Saturday's Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest.

"What we did the other day at Stamford Bridge should help us to be very convinced that we have the ability to do that.

"But the reality is you have to show it in every game. There is still so much to happen. But we are glad that we are still alive in the four competitions."

Arsenal drew with champions Liverpool in their previous league game, and Arteta ⁠was wary of Forest, who are 17th in the standings but have recovered from a terrible start to the season since they appointed manager Sean Dyche in October.

"A top coach. Really good at what he does. You can see straight away his fingerprints, the way they play, some of the results they got against big teams as well, how difficult they make it," Reuters quoted Arteta as saying.

"With Sean, they are different. Very efficient in what they do with a clear identity. That is what makes them dangerous."

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Malen Joins Roma after a Year at Villa

(FILES) Aston Villa's Dutch forward #17 Donyell Malen (R) fights for the ball with Basel's Austrian defender #24 Flavius Daniliuc (L) during the UEFA Europa League, league phase, football match between FC Basel and Aston Villa at the St Jakob-Park stadium, in Basel on December 11, 2025. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
(FILES) Aston Villa's Dutch forward #17 Donyell Malen (R) fights for the ball with Basel's Austrian defender #24 Flavius Daniliuc (L) during the UEFA Europa League, league phase, football match between FC Basel and Aston Villa at the St Jakob-Park stadium, in Basel on December 11, 2025. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
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Malen Joins Roma after a Year at Villa

(FILES) Aston Villa's Dutch forward #17 Donyell Malen (R) fights for the ball with Basel's Austrian defender #24 Flavius Daniliuc (L) during the UEFA Europa League, league phase, football match between FC Basel and Aston Villa at the St Jakob-Park stadium, in Basel on December 11, 2025. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
(FILES) Aston Villa's Dutch forward #17 Donyell Malen (R) fights for the ball with Basel's Austrian defender #24 Flavius Daniliuc (L) during the UEFA Europa League, league phase, football match between FC Basel and Aston Villa at the St Jakob-Park stadium, in Basel on December 11, 2025. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

Netherlands forward Donyell Malen has left Aston Villa after a year with the club to join Italian side AS Roma for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club said on Friday.

According to Reuters, Roma said the Netherlands international has joined on a loan deal with an option to buy. Sky Italia ⁠reported that Roma paid a loan fee of 1.7 million pounds ($2.28 million), and the option to buy will become an obligation, with a fee of 21.6 million pounds, if ⁠certain conditions are met.

British media reports suggested Malen's move may be a part of a swap deal, with England striker Tammy Abraham, a Roma player currently on loan at Turkish side Besiktas, being linked with a return to Villa, where he previously spent a season ⁠on loan.

Malen, 26, joined Villa in January 2025 after four years at Borussia Dortmund.

He made 46 appearances for Villa in all competitions, scoring seven goals.

Roma, fifth in the Italian league and seven points below leaders Inter Milan, will visit Torino on Sunday.