Peter Bol (runner)

Nagmeldin "Peter" Bol (born 22 February 1994) is an Australian middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 800 metres at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2]

Peter Bol
Peter Bol in 2017
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
EthnicitySouth Sudanese
Born (1994-02-22) 22 February 1994
Khartoum, Sudan
ResidenceMelbourne
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportMiddle-distance running
Event(s)800 metres
University teamCurtin University[1]
ClubSt Kevins Athletics Club
TeamAthletics Australia
Coached byJustin Rinaldi
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1:44.56 800m

Biography

Bol was born on 22 February 1994 in Khartoum, Sudan.[3] His family fled the civil war in Sudan when he was four.[4] They lived in an Egyptian refugee camp for four years before immigrating to Australia. At the age of eight, he arrived in Toowoomba, Queensland.[4] He grew up in Perth and attended St Norbert College.[3] In 2017, he completed a construction degree at Curtin University.[3]

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 m running after a promising cross-country run.[3]

In 2013, Bol stormed to victory in the junior men's 800 m at the Australian Athletics Championships in a personal best time of 1:48.90.[3] In December 2015, he moved from Perth to Melbourne to train with coach Justin Rinaldi, who also coached joint national record holder Alexander Rowe.[3] In 2016, he ran two Olympic qualifying times (1:45.78 and 1:45.41) and was selected on the Australian team for the 2016 Rio Olympics.[5] At the Olympics, he finished sixth in his heat in 1:49.36 At the 2017 IAAF World Championships, he finished seventh in his heat in 1:49.65.[6]

On 10 June 2018, at IAAF meet in Stockholm, Sweden he set a personal best of 1:44.56 in the 800 m defeating training partner Joseph Deng.[5]

References
  1. Bol, Peter (1 March 2015). "The Power of Consistency". Runners Tribe Journal. Runners Tribe. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. "Peter Bol". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  3. Butler, Steve (5 December 2015). "Bol on the fast track to Olympic dream". West Australian.
  4. 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.
  5. "Peter Bol". Athletics Australia Profiles. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  6. "Nagmeldin 'Peter' Bol". Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
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