The incredible story of Peter Bol, from fleeing war-torn Sudan to the Olympics.

In 2021, Nagmeldin "Peter" Bol stopped the nation when he placed fourth in the Olympic men's 800m final.

He became the first Australian since 1968 to make the 800m final — the country was enamoured. 

He led the pack for much of the race. It was only in the final 200 metres that he was overtaken by Kenyans Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir and Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich, and Poland's Patryk Dobek. 

Now competing in the Paris Olympic Games, Bol is the athlete everyone is watching in the track event.

But Bol's journey to the Olympics has been unlike many others. Even recently, he almost didn't make it to the Olympics with doping accusations made against him.

Here's what we know about Australia's star of the track. 

Peter Bol's upbringing. 

Bol was born in 1994 in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. At age four, his family fled the war-torn country and emigrated to Egypt. They lived there for six years before migrating to Toowoomba, Queensland.

When they arrived, no one in his family spoke English.

From a young age, Bol remembers his father telling him stories about Sudan's conflict and their family's struggles. 

"So [my father] always tried to push us a bit harder in whatever we do. Sudan has always had conflict and it wasn't really a safe place to be," he told The West Australian. "So they saw that the best opportunity was to get their children out of there and work towards a better life.

"I'm pretty grateful to [my parents] because all of their circumstances worked to my favour. Life could be a lot different."

Peter Bol's family fled war-torn Sudan when he was four years old. Image: Getty. After primary school, Bol's family moved to Perth, where he was awarded a basketball scholarship for St Norbert College.

It wasn't until he was 16 years old that Bol discovered his sprinting skill — or, rather, a teacher spotted his prowess and potential. At a school carnival, one of Bol's teachers picked him out as a true talent and encouraged him to join an athletics club.

"I thought it was a pretty good deal especially because it meant I’d be fitter for basketball so I agreed and she delivered," Bol told Athletics Australia.

Just mere years later, Bol won the national junior 800m title in a PB 1:48.90. 

Peter Bol's Olympic career. 

Bol made his first Australian team selection for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio when he was 22 years old. There, he placed sixth in his heat in 1:49.36. (He has already shaved five seconds off this time in Tokyo, with a 1:44.11 in the semi-final.)

Peter Bol after his race at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Image: Getty. In early 2018, Bol suffered from a stress fracture which saw him miss the Commonwealth Games selection. By 2019 though, he had come back stronger and managed to win Australia's national title and become Australia's only representative at Doha's world championships.

Amid his gruelling training schedule, he has also completed a Bachelor of Construction Management and Economics degree at Curtin University. 

And of course most remarkably, Bol was Australia's biggest hope in the 800 metre event at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in which he finished fourth.

Peter Bol and the baseless doping allegations.

In January 2023, Bol was provisionally suspended having recorded an elevated level of synthetic erythropoietin (EPO).

That ban was lifted the following month when his B sample returned an atypical finding, meaning it was neither positive nor negative.

As required by the World Anti-Doping Code, Sport Integrity Australia continued to look into the matter, despite Bol vehemently protesting his innocence.

In August 2023, Bol was then exonerated after Sport Integrity Australia dropped its anti-doping investigation.

"The further analysis resulted in varying expert opinions as to the positive or negative reporting of the sample, and the A-sample was reported as negative," the unit said. 

"As a result, Sport Integrity Australia has taken the decision not to progress an anti-doping rule violation for this sample. The investigation into this sample is finalised."

It was a stressful time for Bol, who said in a statement: "I have been exonerated. It was a false positive like I have said all along! The news from Sport Integrity Australia was a dream come true. I am glad that WADA has agreed to review the EPO testing processes to prevent future false positives. No one should ever experience what I have gone through this year."

Peter Bol on the Paris Olympic Games.

The Australian track competition has reached a new level of competition, with three young Aussie Men in hot pursuit of their Olympic dream — Bol, Joseph Deng and Peyton Craig.

Bol will step onto the start line in Round 1 of the Men's 800m event on Wednesday August 7.

Australia couldn't be more proud. 

Watch the Olympics on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every event ad-free with 4K and international multi-language channels. Go to Stan.com.au/Olympics for more info.

Read more on the Olympics here:

• Hamish and Andy were 'banned for life' from the Olympic Village. Now they've explained why.
  
• No drinking, no beards and no more intimacy bans: All the rules Olympic athletes must follow.
• Athletes train their whole life for a taste of Olympic gold. But is it even really gold?

With AAP.

This article was originally published in 2021 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Getty.