Peter Bol creates history as first Australian to make 800m final at World Athletics Championships

WAIS graduate Peter Bol has again raced his way in to the history books as the first ever Australian to contest the 800m final at the World Athletics Championships this Saturday.

Tokyo Olympic hero Bol’s journey to a spot in the final was not without a nervous wait, as the world number four crossed the line third in his semi-final, but with only two athletes automatically advancing from each race, he faced an anxious wait for the next two heats to be completed to see if he would progress.

The 28-year-old coasted through the first lap, and in his typical racing style, began to make his move inside the final 300m, leading the race with Kenyan Wycliffe Kisasy. Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir kicked into gear with 100m to go, and stormed past the Australian in the final 30 metres to claim victory.

With the final two heats run, Bol squeezed into the final by 0.09 seconds.

“With my race plan, I always look to win the race. Not to come top-two or top-three. If you race top-three, you can race a little smarter and sit at the back, but I try to win races. I’ve won the majority of my races this year or come second. This was probably the worst race of my year.

“I guess the greatest thing is, this is only a semi-final. It doesn’t mean those two are going to win medals and it doesn’t mean the heat winners are going to win medals. It’s a restart. Every man for themselves again.”