TIME LORD BOL CLOCKS NEW 800M OZ RECORD
THE incredible journey of former refugee Peter Bol has a new chapter: Olympic semi-finalist and Australian 800m record holder.
Bol credited his new revolutionary and controversial Nike spikes in having a hand in his incredible heat time to post the fastest 800m by an Australian at the Olympic Games on Saturday morning, surpassing Olympic gold medallist Ralph Doubell.
Bol took the Australian record off his training partner Joseph Deng by just 0.08sec, clocking 1min44.13sec to finish second in the opening heat of the 800m behind Kenyan Ferguson Chjeruiyot Rotich in 1min43.75sec.
“With these new spikes and the track I was looking around (at the end of the race) because I didn’t think it was a 1:43 race,” Bol said.
“If I thought it was a 1:43 race I wouldn’t have been looking around, I would have ran for 1:43.
“This is my third race in them, they are just so bouncy. I don’t think anyone runs 1:44 so relaxed or 1:43 (without them).
“I guess really the mindset is a part of it.”
All three Australians made it through to the semi-finals.
Jeff Riseley, 34, finally progressed for the first time at his fourth Olympic Games along with American-based Charlie Hunter.
Australia hasn’t had a runner in the 800m Olympic final since Doubell won gold in Mexico City in 1968.
Bol, 27, trains with the Justin Rinaldi group in Victoria alongside Deng and another former record-holder, Alex Rowe.
“I think I have been the second longest member in the squad without the national record,” Bol said. “Alex Rowe tied it, Joseph Deng took it and now I have it again.
“But today wasn’t really about times, it’s awesome to have the national record but if I ran a national record and didn’t get into the semis I would have been complaining. mplaining.
“The more I take out of that is getting through to the next round. “Whatever it takes, that was my mindset coming so to get the national record, I’m happy with that.”
Bol was born in Sudan before his family fled amid
To get the national record, I’m happy with that
that country’s civil war.
They spent four years living in a refugee camp in Egypt until moving to Australia, when Bol was only eight years of age. He only turned his hand to running at the age of 16 when he lived in Perth.
For Riseley, Ris who clocked 1:45.41sec to finish fourth f in his heat, it’s a story of persistence persiste given he almost retired three years year ago after multiple injuries. Hunter, Hunte 25, clocked 1:45.91sec to also finish fin fourth in his heat and he was a last-minute inclusion into the Olympic team after running the qualifying time in the US. In the women’s 100m hurdles, Liz Clay ran 12.87sec to qualify for the semi-finals in her Olympic debut.