Peter Bol (runner)

Peter Bol
Bol in 2017
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
BornNagmeldin Bol
(1994-02-22) 22 February 1994
Khartoum, Sudan
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportTrack and field
Event
800 metres
University teamCurtin University[1]
ClubSt Kevins Athletics Club
Coached byJustin Rinaldi
Achievements and titles
Personal best1:42.55 (Monaco 2025)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Australia
Commonwealth Games
2022 Birmingham 800 m

Nagmeldin "Peter" Bol (born 22 February 1994)[2] is an Australian middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics, placed fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the silver medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.[3] Bol also competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[4]

Early life and education

Born in Khartoum, Sudan, Bol's mother Hanan Kuku is Sudanese of Nubian ethnicity, and his father Abdalla Bol is an ethnic Dinka from the region that is now South Sudan.[5][6][7] His family fled the Second Sudanese Civil War when he was four.[8] In 2016, it was falsely reported that his family lived in an Egyptian refugee camp before emigrating to Australia.[9] Bol has stated that "despite what some people have said and written, we never lived in a refugee camp."[10][11]

At the age of eight, Bol arrived in Toowoomba, Queensland.[8] He grew up in Perth and attended St Norbert College[6] on a basketball scholarship.[7] In 2017, Bol completed a degree in construction management at Curtin University.[6][7] He briefly worked as an engineer prior to signing an Adidas contract in 2018, and has since also completed a business course at the University of Melbourne.[5]

Athletics career

Bol was a promising basketballer in Perth, Western Australia. When he was 16, a teacher at St Norbert College suggested he try 800 metres running after a promising cross-country race.[6]

he 2016 Rio Olympics.[12] At the Games, Bol finished sixth in his heat with a time of 1:49.36.[2]

At the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, he finished seventh in his heat in a time of 1:49.65.[13]

In June 2018 at an IAAF meet in Stockholm, Sweden, he set a personal best of 1:44.56 in the 800 m defeating training partner Joseph Deng.[12]

He was eliminated in the heats of his signature event at the 2019 World Championships held in Doha, Qatar, running 1:46.92.[2]

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Bol came first in his semi-final with a personal best time of 1:44:11. He then came fourth in the final, missing out on a bronze medal by 0.53 s.

He set a new Oceania and Australian record of 1:44.00 in June 2022 at the Paris Diamond League. This was the third time he has lowered the national record in the 800 m.[14] That year Bol finished seventh in his specialty at the World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon with a time of 1:45.51 before claiming the silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 1:47.66.[2]

Doping suspension and exoneration

In January 2023, it was announced that Bol had been provisionally suspended by Athletics Australia after failed out-of-competition doping test, with the test showing signs of synthetic EPO.[15][16] His suspension was lifted the following month because his B sample returned an atypical finding (ATF) for EPO, though Sport Integrity Australia continued its investigation.[17] In August 2023, Bol was officially cleared by Sports Integrity Australia.[18]

Return to racing

Bol competed in the 800 metres race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, exiting after the repechage round, and did not qualify for the semi-finals.[19]

Bol won the 2025 Australian Championships in Perth in April, running 1:43.79 for the 800 metres.[20] He was one of the racers who participated in Grand Slam Track in 2025.[21] He set a new 1:42.55 Australian record for the 800 metres at the 2025 Herculis Diamond League event in July.[22] Bol competed for Australia at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025 in the men's 800 metres.[23]

Bol won ahead of fellow Justin Rinaldi-coached athlete Bob Abdelrahim in the 800 metres at the Perth Track Classic on 14 February 2026, running 1:43.89 to set a new meet record.[24][25] Later that month, he also won ahead of Abdelrahim in the 800 metres at the Hobart Track Classic in Tasmania.[26] Bol was selected for 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, in March 2026.[27]

Personal life

Bol became engaged to Mahtut Yaynu in March 2024. They have a daughter, born in October 2024.[28]

Achievements

International competitions

Representing  Australia
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 41st (h) 800 m 1:49.36
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 38th (h) 800 m 1:49.65
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 31st (h) 800 m 1:46.92
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 4th 800 m 1:45.92
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 7th 800 m 1:45.51
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 800 m 1:47.66
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 28th (h) 800 m 1:46.75
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 18th (rep) 800 m 1:46.12
2025 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 19th (h) 800 m 1:45.15

Circuit performances

Grand Slam Track results[29]
Slam Race group Event Pl. Time Prize money
2025 Miami Slam Short distance 1500 m 5th 3:35.24 US$20,000
800 m 3rd 1:44.13

Wins and titles

National titles

Personal bests

References

  1. ^ Bol, Peter (1 March 2015). "The Power of Consistency". Runners Tribe Journal. Runners Tribe. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Peter BOL – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Peter BOL". Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
  4. ^ "BOL Peter". Paris 2024 Olympics. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b Marshall, Konrad (11 February 2022). "The fast and the curious: how elite runner Peter Bol keeps his life on track". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Butler, Steve (5 December 2015). "Bol on the fast track to Olympic dream". West Australian.
  7. ^ a b c Pender, Kieran (3 August 2021). "Peter Bol: 'Get to know the person, instead of the assumptions'". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b Gleeson, Michael (12 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Peter Bol, the man who ran from Sudan to Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Bol's 'refugee camp'". Media Watch. 9 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Tokyo 2020: Perth's Peter Bol clarifies false reports ahead of men's 800m final". The Sunday Times. 4 August 2021.
  11. ^ Mao, Frances (5 August 2021). "Peter Bol: The Sudanese-Australian runner who lifted a nation". BBC News.
  12. ^ a b "Peter Bol". Athletics Australia Profiles. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Nagmeldin 'Peter' Bol". Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Bol breaks Oceania record as Australian men master the mile". The Guardian. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Australian 800m record-holder Peter Bol tests positive". AW. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  16. ^ Hytner, Mike (20 January 2023). "Australian Olympic athlete Peter Bol fails out-of-competition doping test". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  17. ^ Hytner, Mike (14 February 2023). "Olympian Peter Bol's provisional doping suspension lifted after B sample test returned". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  18. ^ "SPORT INTEGRITY AUSTRALIA UPDATE ON THE PETER BOL MATTER". Sports Integrity Austrtalia. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Men's 800m Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Australian Championships". World Athletics. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  21. ^ Gates, Zachary (11 December 2025). "'You'd be pretty dirty': Five Aussies, including Jessica Hull, left in the lurch as Olympic champion's league files for bankruptcy". nine.com.au. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  22. ^ "HULL AND BOL BREAK RECORDS AS GOUT IGNITES MONACO". Athletics Australia. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  23. ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  24. ^ "OLYMPIC FINALIST BOL IGNITES PERTH TRACK CLASSIC TO KICK-START CHEMIST WAREHOUSE SUMMER SERIES". Athletics.com.au. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Perth Track Classic". World Athletics. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  26. ^ "YOUNG GUNS FIRE AS HOBART TRACK CLASSIC COMES ALIGHT AFTER TEN YEARS AWAY". Australian Athletics. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  27. ^ "AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS ROYALTY BOUND FOR WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". Athletics.com.au. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  28. ^ Harley, Felicity (17 November 2024). "From despair to baby joy: How Olympian and runner Peter Bol got his spark back". Stellar. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Grand Slam Track Results". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved 5 April 2025.

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