Peter Bol will get back into training as early as Thursday after his provisional doping ban was lifted, and begin his push to qualify for the world championships later this year.
Bol has not trained since January 10, when he was provisionally suspended following a positive A sample test for EPO. But now that the ban has been lifted – following analysis of the B sample – coach Justin Rinaldi said the 28-year-old would return to work.
“He might need a few days to let it sink in, it has been a big mental strain,” Rinaldi said. “He has not run or trained for four or five weeks, so he will need time.”
Peter Bol in action at the Commonwealth Games.Credit:Getty
The strain of what Bol endured has been felt by his friends and training group. His running mate and friend, Bendere Oboya, who ran the 400 metres at the world championships in Doha and at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has announced her retirement.
Bendere Oboya competes at the Tokyo Olympic Games.Credit:Getty Images
The 22-year-old was one of the rising stars of Australian running, but Rinaldi said the Bol case had been difficult for her, and she had officially retired last Thursday.
“She has struggled with her mental health over the last 12 months and then the stuff with Pete made her decide she didn’t want to be part of the sport any more. I think it’s the right decision for her,” Rinaldi said.
Bol is unlikely to be fit to compete in the domestic season. The national championships also double as selection trials for the world championship team.
Athletes are expected to compete at the national titles in March to make the team, but can seek a medical dispensation if they cannot attend.
Bol would most likely seek a medical dispensation on mental health grounds due to the strain of the ban and the physical interruption to training.
Without attending the national titles Bol will have to achieve a qualifying standard at races overseas ahead of the cut-off date.
“It’s a matter of getting a 1:44.7 to qualify,” Rinaldi said.
A complication would arise if Bol were not to attend the national titles, and be given a dispensation, and three other runners achieved the time at the titles. Ordinarily priority is given to athletes who compete at nationals if they also achieve the qualifying time.
Bol previously had enjoyed a 21-month period in which he placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.
He was disappointed to finish seventh at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon last year and had been looking to improve and get on the podium at the worlds in Budapest this year before the provisional doping ban.
Now he faces a race of a different kind to get his fitness back up to elite levels in time for the European summer to compete with the world’s best.
