‘HE JUST KEPT ON GOING AND GOING’
A SLOW first lap always spelt danger for Peter Bol and his worst fears were realised with 250m to go in the 800m final.
The Australian had come in as the favourite after a stunning heat win but the last thing he wanted was to have the defending champion Wyclife Kinyamal cruising on his inside.
A sprint home was never going to suit the Australian and when the Kenyan went, he went hard and in a blink of an eye had five metres on Bol. From there it was always going to be a tough task and while Bol never gave in, he knew at the top of the straight he needed an extra 20m. He didn’t get that with Kinyamal winning back-to-back Commonwealth titles in 1min47.52sec with Bol taking silver in 1:47.66sec. England’s Ben Pattison was third in 1:48.25sec.
Afterwards Bol was already looking at the big picture. A podium finish at the Commonwealth Games after a disappointing world championships two weeks earlier was a step forward.
He desperately wanted a medal around his neck given the heartache of last year’s Tokyo Olympics where he finished a close fourth.
“Bittersweet. I wanted the win but starting with a medal, that’s what we wanted,” Bol said.
“There was a lot of pressure, a lot of anticipation, I think we lived up to it and that’s the first medal down.
“Next year, another world championship, and I’m really looking forward to that.”
Bol and his team knew there was no natural leader in the field but they were desperate not to leave him exposed in the lead again which was what happened in Tokyo.
Unfortunately there were no surprise packets in the race and it came down to the two class athletes, Bol and Kinyamal.
“It’s the 800 man, it’s so tactical. I saw 55 (after the first lap) and I said, ‘Man, just stay relaxed, keep calm and don’t tense up’,” he said.
“If we had maybe another 20 metres I could have won but we’re only running 800 metres, not 820.
“You look at the start list and there are no front runners out there. I knew it was going to be tactical and I knew I was going to have to come home strong and I think we did so I’m happy with that.”
Bol had come into the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, two weeks ago with high expectations but he never managed to get into the final, missing the kick early and finishing a disappointing seventh.
It cut deep but he quickly focused on Birmingham in the search for his first medal at a major championships.
Australia hadn’t won gold in the event since Peter Bourke in Brisbane in 1982.
“’I’ve been chasing medals for so long and after last year’s disappointment, after the world’s disappointment, being on the podium here I can’t be disappointed with that,” Bol said.
“You have to be grateful Kimyanal is a world-class athlete and he was in that final as well.
“I felt like the favourite so there was a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations but at the same time in our sport, pressure is a privilege. I was relaxed and really confident and I thought I could win it tonight and I just came up short.
“I can’t say any more than that.” Bol, 28, has already turned his focus to next year’s world championships in Budapest with his likely finale at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The most powerful thing out of this 800, out of this whole athletics journey is the impact we’ve had off the track,” he said.
“How much support and love we’ve had. Even if I came up short I think that love is consistent and that’s what I’m grateful for. This is for my family and this is for Australia.
“I always say I’m a global citizen because I travel around the world and I’m just so happy to be able to do what I love and I have so many people to help me along.”