As Liemarvin Bonevacia nears retirement, Jonas Phijffers emerges as a worthy successor

In Birmingham, at the European Athletics Championships, a symbolic handover is taking place for Dutch athletics. Liemarvin Bonevacia, a 37-year-old sprinter born in Curaçao, is competing in his final international tournament, marking the end of a distinguished career that includes multiple global and Olympic medals in relays, alongside individual European Championship bronze medals.

Bonevacia had hoped to reach the individual 400-meter final, but narrowly missed qualification. Despite this, he was present in the stands, wearing his full competition suit, to passionately cheer on 23-year-old Jonas Phijffers. Phijffers, in contrast, achieved his first individual international final, running a controlled race before unleashing a stunning final sprint.

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Jonas has my record now, that's so cool.

Phijffers finished third, just a hundredth of a second behind Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith and France's Muhammad Kounta. Unaware of his achievement at the moment, he later learned he had set a new Dutch record with a time of 44.41 seconds, surpassing Bonevacia's previous record. Bonevacia, watching from the stands, erupted in celebration. "Jonas now has my record, that's so cool," he said with a wide grin. "I wish him the joy I once felt."

This moment signifies the emergence of a worthy successor for the Dutch 400-meter running team. With an Olympic medal and now a faster time, Phijffers is positioned as the new leading figure. While Bonevacia started the 4x400 meter relay series, it is likely that Phijffers will be the one to compete in the final on Sunday, potentially making their relay race the last they run together and Bonevacia's final appearance for the Netherlands.

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I wish him the joy I once felt.