Australian Olympic athletics hero Peter Bol fails drug test

Australian athletics star Peter Bol, who rose to prominence at the Tokyo Olympics, has tested positive to a performance enhancing substance.

Australian athletics star Peter Bol has been provisionally suspended from training and competition after failing a drug test.

Bol has returned a positive A sample to performance enhancing drug EPO and is now awaiting the results of his B sample.

Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley said: “Learning about this adverse analytical finding was both extremely concerning and completely out of the blue, and we will support Sport Integrity Australia who are leading the investigation into the matter.

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“The welfare of our athletes remains critical through this process, and we will continue to do all that is appropriate to ensure both Peter and other athletes, coaches and support staff are provided with the necessary support.”

Bol’s out-of-competition positive test came in October, but the 28-year-old runner is maintaining his innocence.

“It is critically important to convey with the strongest conviction that I am innocent and have not take this substance as I am accused,” Bol said in a statement on Friday.

“I ask that everyone in Australia believe me and let the process play out.

“When I found out last week that the A Sample from a urine test taken on 11 October had tested positive for a synthetic EPO I was in total shock.

Peter Bol has tested positive to a banned substance. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

“To be clear, I have NEVER in my life purchased, researched, possessed, administered, or used synthetic EPO or any other Prohibited Substance.

“I voluntarily turned over my laptop, iPad and phone to Sport Integrity Australia to prove this.

“I have requested the analysis of my B Sample which will take place in February.

“Given the subjective nature of interpreting this kind of test, I have asked that the lab perform a secondary confirmation.”

Bol said he is “provisionally suspended” and his athletics career is hanging by a thread, but is hopeful his B sample test will clear his name

“Above all, I remain hopeful that the process will exonerate me,” he said.

“My career, hopes and dreams are literally hanging in the balance over these next few weeks, and I ask everyone to respect my privacy as I remain provisionally suspended.”

Bol, an 800m specialist, made his Australian debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics and also competed at the 2017 World Championships in London.

Injury forced him to miss the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and he didn’t get out of the heats at the 2019 Doha World Championships.

Bol rose to prominence at the Tokyo Olympics when he won his 800m semi-final and finished just outside the medals in fourth in a gutsy performance in the final.

Peter Bol after finishing second in the 800m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Picture: Michael Klein

He set a new Australian 800m record in the Tokyo Olympic semi-final, clocking 1min44.13sec to take the honour off his training partner Joseph Deng who had owned the record for three years.

Bol then lowered his own record at the Paris Diamond League in June last year to 1:44.00sec as he continued to prove he was one of the world’s best middle-distance runners.

Last year he made the World Championships final in Eugene, Oregon before winning the 800m silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

He had been named Western Australia’s Young Australian of the Year and was a favourite to be awarded Young Australian of the Year in recognition of his speaking and charity work, but that honour is now in doubt.