Peter BOL (Australia) | Men's 800m Heat 2 Round 1| Commonwealth Games 2022 Athletics |3rd Aug 2022 |

Well, the athletes out on the track for the second heat of the men's 800 metres. Just three heats. It's a pretty tough, severe qualifying, going from heat straight to the final at Commonwealth level. And, well, Elias Nyen or Ngeni, however it is correctly pronounced, there was a very famous Nyen a couple of decades back, may not go through from that first heat. There is another Ken in this race, Cornelius Tuwai. There's the line-up for heat two. Navaski Anderson of Jamaica went out in the heat of the World Championships. Dardigo of Uganda is their champion this year. Masilo of Botswana was in there. Tuwai of Kenya went out in the heats four years ago. Nathan Hood of Grenada will struggle here, I suspect. Peter Boll of Australia, well, finest at the World Championships, fourth-placer in Tokyo last year, should qualify here. And Judah Corriette of Dominica goes in this one as well. And there is Judah Corriette, goes in lane eight, the 25-year-old, went out in the heats four years back, best of 154.8 this year. There is Peter Boll, embraced by Australia, his story, his journey to Australian citizenship is fundamentally the Australian journey, born in Sudan, three times the Australian champion though now, and the fourth-placer in Tokyo last year. Nathan Hood goes in lane six for Grenada. His personal best was the national record back in April, 148.2. Cornelius Tuwai of Kenya, fourth in their Kenyan Championships back in April, but with 144.6 this year, he's seventh ranked in Kenya. They have such amazing depth. Puchumelo Masilo of Botswana has had very few races this year, but he is a 145 performer, 145.7, his lifetime best this year. Trom Dradiga of Uganda, the semi-finalist in the African Championships a month or so back in those games which were very, very tough mid-season championships prior to the Worlds for many of the African athletes. Navasky Anderson went out in his heat for the World Championships, he is the Jamaican champion, 145.02 this year, and actually second in the NCAA Championships back in June in a national record, breaking a 53-year-old Jamaican record at 800 metres. Really good young athlete, Navasky Anderson. Watch him, Barron Dice's 53-year-old Jamaican record. So heat two. Only the first two go through by rocks. Everything to play for in that first heat was dreadfully slow. Remember they made 855.4 in the winning time, well 148.8 by Jamie Webb, so there's an opportunity for the athletes in these second and third heats. Remember this is the second of three. To go out pretty hard, run aggressively, and you could get through if you place in fourth position. And it is Tuwai, very experienced, who hits the front. Already 13.800 this outdoor season by Tuwai, he should certainly be in the racing mould. Whether or not he's tired is another matter. He said his season's best in Nairobi back on the 25th of June, and he's keeping this reasonably honest. I couldn't agree more, Tim. I had a check, and six of the seven athletes in this have run faster than Jamie Webb did to win the first of the heats. So it's in all their interest to make this an honest pace, and it is way, way quicker than the first of the heats. And look how majestic Tuwai looks. I mean, you said he's only the seventh-ranked Kenyan in the world this year from their nation, and he's an absolutely majestic-looking 800-metre runner. And so, too, is Peter Boll. What a talent this Australian is as he hits the front. 200 metres to run, then 51.7 at the bell, Boll looking very strong indeed. He is the class act here. I think he was frustrated at his seventh place at the World Championships. He's been in better form than that. I know his agent is staying just a few miles from here in a hotel, and he's been suffering from COVID, unfortunately, watching this on TV as Boll, with a five-metre lead, looks very comfortable there. Botswana's Masilo coming through for his second place there, and the Jamaican, Andersen, in third. And the Kenyan, run right out of the automatic places, 1.47.01 for Boll. So he, of course, will go through from this second heat. But goodness me, the Kenyans are not performing well so far in the two heats gone so far. And there is another Kenyan, the defending champion, Wyclef Kim-Nyamal, goes in the third heat in a few minutes' time. Let's hope he's in better form, frankly, competitively. But that's a very comfortable win, and just what he needs, Peter Boll, a nice pipe opener there. And they've got a long, long break after this until the final. Huge amount of recovery time. I'm really excited to see what Navasky-Andersen can do in that final. He should be okay finishing outside the top two. He's on 1.47.79. So he and Tuai will be comfortably ahead of the two who are occupying the non-automatic spots from the first of the heats. But Peter Boll, it is a fantastic story, and he really went for it in that Tokyo final last year. I think he was leading until about 50 to go. It was a brave, brave bid to win that gold medal for Australia. He looks really, really good here. So comfortable down that last 50 metres. The Jamaican, Andersen, was just coming under a little bit of pressure after an inspired performance from Massillo. And Tuai, yes, considering that he's run a 1.44 at altitude this year, he looked very tired in fourth place, but he does occupy the second of the non-automatic spots at the moment. But how good was that from Boll? Boll glancing around, looking very comfortable indeed, as I said. Just what you need, really. A little blowout, probably about 85 per cent effort, 90 per cent effort to ease across the line in 1.47. He has got the gears. His training has been going superbly. And I don't think we saw a true reflection of his ability with that seventh place in Eugene. I know he was desperately disappointed with his run in the semis. He only got through as a non-automatic qualifier to the final at the World Championships. But clearly here, glancing around as the others battle behind, he's a class apart. And he, I would say, is one of the favourites for the title, if not for the gold. It will be really interesting to see how the third Kenyan, Kinemal, the defending champion, goes in the next seat. We must remember that he is the second fastest in the world, Kinemal. He will be a handful. And he might be the only Kenyan to make it through to the final after that run. Tuai there, 1.48.66 in fourth place. The opportunity is there for the athletes in the third and final heat, but will they take it? So you go out hard. Yes, considering that battling fourth in Tokyo last year, Peter Boll has been quite a character in Australia over this last year since Tokyo. Now there has been a disqualification, it's a real shame. Luke Denik of Dominica, foot on the inside of the line, and you cannot do that before braking from lanes. So he is not listed as an official finisher from the first of the semifinals or heats, whatever you want to call them. It's still Jamie Webb and Guy Limon, and they will be the only two from that first heat. The non-automatic qualifiers will be coming, possibly, from the second heat, or maybe the third, if they can make that fast enough. Cracking attendance again this morning, a great day of athletics unfolding. Confirmation Peter Boll and Mat Silo taking the automatic spots. Anderson and Tuai are okay at the moment, but there are quick enough men in that third semifinal to deny them the non-automatic spots. Well, you can't take any chances, Jamie.