BOL WINS 2022 WA MULTICULTURAL SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR

Published Tue 15 Mar 2022

Peter Bol etched his name into the history books at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and last night was awarded the 2022 WA Multicultural Sportsperson of the Year.

Bol was one of ten winners at the 2022 WA Multicultural Awards, with the Sportsperson of the Year Award recognising an individual from a Culturally and Linguistically diverse background who through their commitment to sport has achieved excellence.

2021 was certainly Peter’s breakout year as he captivated the nation with one of the year’s best athletics results in the Men’s 800m Final in Tokyo.

Bol entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games ranked 19^th with a personal best of 1:44.62. However, this time was blitzed, both in his heat and semi-final where he set two consecutive National Record times of 1:44.13 and 1:44.11, respectively.

As the first Australian male in 53 years to run in an 800m Olympic Final, Peter saw more than 2.4 million Australian’s tune in. While he was the sole Australian in the race, he knew he wasn’t doing it just for himself, it was for his family, friends, and community back home.

While Bol was not able to attend the ceremony, he did provide a short video saying the award “means the world to me, I appreciate it and grateful to have won.”

“Thank you for the nomination, it would mean the world to me to [win]… especially for everyone around me, as it is a community award. We deserve it as a family.” Said Bol.

“Moving to Australia at the age of 10 was so different, new language, new culture it was full of opportunities. I was just so thankful to be there. So again, I thank Australia, Western Australia and my community.”

Reflecting on his result in Tokyo, Bol is humble about his Finals results, but recognises the larger impact his performance has made on the community.

“Coming fourth in Tokyo wasn’t what I wanted, of course, I wanted to win, but capturing the attention of so many people around Australia and around the world was the bonus.”

Peter’s impact can be seen throughout the state. His Olympic performance has inspired young Western Australians to start athletics with new programs initiated by Perth African Nations Sporting Association and Athletics West. While Peter himself has taken out the time to personally travel throughout rural WA and reinforce the importance of healthy lifestyles. Reflecting on his journey, he knows the importance of starting from the ground up.

“Living in Australia has been awesome over the past few years. I credit the way I conduct myself on and off the track, the work I put into Tokyo and on the track, it all started back in Perth.”

To find out more about the 2022 WA Multicultural Awards, click HERE.

You can follow all the athletics action via Athletics West’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. 