After her world performance, it was about Femke Bol’s voice: ‘Not necessary’

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Now Femke Bol’s self-confidence seems to be doing quite well. It is not without reason that she is one of the best athletes in the world and is currently destroying the competition. This was also the case last weekend at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. On Saturday she was supreme in the 400 meters, where she set a world record, and on Sunday she helped the relay team win gold.

Here in the Netherlands it is mainly about this fantastic achievement. Across the border it was more about her voice, especially after the message below containing a video of one interview with Bol went viral. “I swear if you close your eyes you can hear Mickey Mouse talking,” reads the message on X:

The message received a massive response. It makes people laugh, they indeed recognize Mickey Mouse in the voice. But there is also criticism: why focus on that voice and not on that fantastic performance, or so it sounds. Is that necessary?

Whoever released the video into the world feels compelled to respond: “I saw this last night and she seems amazing, and she seems like the nicest person on earth and an incredible achievement. But hey, I couldn’t handle anything else think.”

Performance snowed under

Yes, Femke Bol’s voice is striking, says voice coach Joanne Lameris from Zwolle. “In that interview it really looks like Mickey Mouse. It’s sad that this somewhat overshadows her achievements. Especially because something can be done about it.”

Lameris explains how Femke Bol’s voice is so high after exertion. “Your voice is a device that sits in your neck. If there is a lot of tension in your body, that device can no longer move properly. It almost floats, it is a talking head. Because of that tension, that voice goes high into the air. and she constantly has a pinched voice.”

Femke Bol’s voice is quite high anyway. According to the voice coach, this could also be genetic, but you can see that Bol’s voice is a lot lower when she is at rest, such as in commercials that she records and for which she can take her time:

“It’s sad that if you deliver such a performance, then it becomes about your voice,” says Lameris. “That brilliant performance gives you a lot of respect, but then you hear her talk and you subconsciously think: how can someone like that sound so childish?”

Indeed, few people will have remembered what Bol said BBC-interview said. For example, through vocal massages you can ensure that your voice becomes more relaxed, Lameris explains. Manual techniques then relax the muscles and structures around the larynx and the neck, jaw and floor of the mouth and make them more mobile.

But you can also train breathing while talking. “Femke Bol does physical training day in and day out, a speech therapist could help her train her voice. Your voice – the device in your neck – is an instrument that you can play, but you have to know that. Awareness is therefore also important.”

Let your feet do the talking

The question is whether the fastest woman in the world in the 400 meters has anything to do with it. She lets her feet do the talking and why should you worry about your voice? “It can do something to your self-confidence,” says Lameris, who sometimes sees this with her clients. “Maybe she really doesn’t care. But then she runs the risk that no one will hear what she says. And that’s a shame because what she has to say is interesting.”