Peter Bol was the first Australian to make the men’s 800m final since 1968 when he raced at the Tokyo Olympics.
Peter’s family migrated to Australia from Sudan, via Egypt, to escape the second Sudanese Civil War. Ridiculously competitive with his older brothers, Peter and his siblings would compete over everything, including learning English.
Peter wasn’t the slightest bit interested in athletics, until after a maiden victory at a school sports carnival, his teacher convinced him that training would enhance Peter’s prospects at a professional basketball career.
Peter was 17 when he began to train seriously for athletics events, and he won the national junior 800m title shortly after.
Peter placed 6th in his heat at the Rio Olympics, and broke the Australian record twice at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing fourth in the final. This was the best result of an Australian in a track event since 1988.
In 2022, Peter won Silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and in 2023 was named the Western Australian Young Person on the Year for his contributions to sport and charity.
As of 2024, Peter is a dad!
