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Peter Bol Delivers Beautiful Message After Missing Olympic Medal By Fraction Of A Second

Peter Bol Delivers Beautiful Message After Missing Olympic Medal By Fraction Of A Second

"I knew one thing for certain that the whole of Australia was watching. That carried me on. I loved that part."

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Peter Bol missed out on an Olympic medal by a fraction of a second in the men's 800m final.

The runner has ridden a wave of excitement at the Tokyo 2020 Games and was the first Aussie to reach a final in his event in 53 years.

But sadly, it wasn't meant to be for Bol last night.

Despite leading the pack early on, the Aussie was overtaken on the final 60m and came fourth.

Kenya's Emmanuel Korir had a stunning resurgence in the race and clinched gold, while Bol missed third by 0.53 of a second.

Speaking to Channel 7 after the race, he admits he wasn't happy with how he finished but delivered a beautiful message to everyone back in Australia.

"I put myself in with every chance. The only thing I regret is the last 100m tightening up a little bit," Bol told Channel 7.

"Other than that, I came here to win. That's what I did, I tried to win. We came short, but there is more to come.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm pretty happy right now. The goal was to win, still have to reflect on that.

"At the same time, I think today, I didn't know if I was going to win, but I knew one thing for certain that the whole of Australia was watching. That carried me on. I loved that part.

"I'm grateful to Australia, I'm thankful to everyone in Australia. We're human at the end of the day. We inspired the whole nation. That's the goal."

People flooded Twitter with messages of pride, saying Bol's appearance in 800m final was inspiration enough.

One person wrote: "That pride we all felt watching Peter Bol tonight is in part for the promise of the Australia we see in him. One that celebrates our diversity, journeys & stories. This is our collective responsibility though. To fiercely nurture and protect our multicultural heart and spirit."

Another added: "Peter Bol, what a freakin' Australian legend! 4th! And he's only a baby!!! WHOOHOO!"

Kenya's Emmanuel Korir admitted Bol's incredible pace helped push him to run that brilliant final few metres.

"I didn't have any strategy. I just thought I would try and follow and see what would happen," he said.

"There was nobody who wanted to take the pace, so I just said I was going to control it. The Australian guy, he did something good for me."

The Aussie runner will be hoping to regroup on an incredible Tokyo Olympics and aim for the Paris 2024 Games.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia