Commonwealth Games: West Australian Peter Bol fastest qualifier for 800m semifinals

West Australian star Peter Bol has pushed himself through the fear and a hot heat to be the fastest qualifier for the semifinals of the 800m in Glasgow.

The Aussie didn’t show it, but revealed post-race it was “scary out here” with the weight of a nation on his shoulders and the self-imposed expectations for Commonwealth Games gold.

However, he used the fear to force the rest of the field to run his race from the midway mark onward and looked determined to make a strong run.

He made a very casual start and found himself squeezed into the middle of the pack heading into the first turn.

However, coming down the back straight for the second time, he almost ignored the headwind to surpass the field and lock onto the leader’s hip.

The lead was all but his by the end of the last turn, and he cruised over the line in a time of 1:45.86.

“I mean, it probably didn’t look like it, but (the heats) are always a stressful part of the championships,” he told Channel 7.

“So I’m glad we ticked that along, but at the same time, it’s scary out there. It’s a privilege.

“(It’s scary because) of self-imposed expectations, you’ve got the country on your back, you’ve got the family on your back, so you just internalise everything.

“It disappears as soon as you get on the track, so it’s nice to finally get here.”

Luke Boyes was the first of the Australians to run the 800m heats in the wet and blustery conditions and showed he could be one to shake up the field.

He was never far behind African champion and Kenyan Kelvin Loti, who finished just ahead of him to top his heat.

“I just thought I’d feel out the first 200m, but no one else really put their foot forward, so I thought ‘alright, I can take it from 600m’,” Boyes told Channel 7.

“I don’t like mucking around in the early rounds, just get the job done and get to the hotel and come back in two days.

“We had four pretty quality athletes, and I’m the fourth fastest on PB, so I just thought I wasn’t going to take any chances.”

Peyton Craig left his run very late and only finished third, but it was just enough to scrape through to the semifinals, where he vowed, “In two days, I will be a lot better”.

Bol said the wet conditions and wind add an extra layer to the racing.

“I mean, I quite like it,” he said.

“It makes it a little bit tactical. The 800 is, unpredictable. So my preparation has been in Melbourne, so I’m quite used to this.

“But it is in the middle of summer, so it’s a little bit hard. It’s going to be cold at night-time for the next two rounds, but we’re prepared for anything.”