Bol, Buschkuehl win silver as Australia wins track and field

This time Peter Bol was denied gold, but not a medal.

The medal-less hero of the Olympics who made the final of the 800 metres, took on the world and led to the death before being pipped by a hair at the line in Tokyo, this time made the podium.

Bol’s silver came on a night when Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl won silver in the long jump and Abbey Caldwell bronze in the 1500m, meaning Australia won the medal tally for track and field on England’s home soil in the athletics with 24 medals overall – 10 gold, 10 silver and four bronze. England was second with 34 medals overall but only seven gold.

Peter Bol (left) won silver in the 800m.Credit:Getty Images

It was a lesser moment for Bol given it was the Commonwealth Games and not the Olympics, but given Australia has only won gold in the 800m three times at the Commonwealth Games and the last time was in 1982, winning silver was a feat of its own.

“It’s bittersweet. I wanted the win but starting with a medal that’s what we wanted,” Bol said.

“There was a lot of pressure, a lot of anticipation, I think we lived up to it and that’s the first medal down … if we had maybe another 20 metres I could have won, but we’re only running 800 metres, not 820.”

Bol stayed in lockstep with the defending champion from Kenya Wycliffe Kimyamal through the first lap but with 250m to go, Kimyamal kicked and Bol could not find the next gear. Kimyamal won in 1:47:52 with Bol behind him in 1:47:66.

Brooke Buschkuehl took silver in the long jump.Credit:AP

Long jumper Buschkuehl was also left to take silver, pushing Nigeria’s Ese Brume to break the Games record and hit seven metres to beat her. Brume jumped a flat 7m, just shading the Australian’s 6.95m.

“I’m obviously over the moon, although it is not the gold, the silver makes me just as proud. It’s my third-furthest jump ever, I’m so stoked,” Buschkuehl said.

“There have been so many times where I have really thought deeply about giving up and whether it was worth continuing on, I was lacking support from a footwear and apparel sponsor so that has sort of been something that has really made me question my worth and question whether I am deserving enough of it.

“I just had to push all those thoughts to the side and just keep grinding through all the tough times. I feel like there have been more days that I have been in tears this year than I have been happy and smiling so it just means so much to have this silver medal around my neck. It makes the hard times really worthwhile.”

Meanwhile Caldwell, who was controversially overlooked for the team for the recent world championships despite having a qualifying time and winning the national title – prerequisites that most in the sport thought automatically qualified her for the team – came from behind to grab bronze.

Caldwell was superb in the last stages of the race to find a gear and a gap to chase Scottish champion Laura Muir

“Honestly I don’t know where that came from, 1500’s are brutal, and I just think I saw those girls in front and I found that extra gear and to come from behind, it meant so much to me.

She said she didn’t have a point to prove after missing the team for worlds, but after the surprise of missing that team put her focus on the Commonwealth Games.

“I think it meant I was able to put all the eggs in this basket and I have had this in my mind for some time now and I have had time to train and its given me this extra bit of hunger and it means so much. Certainly I have had a lot of drive and the most amazing team behind me. I can’t ask for much more than a medal.

“I just wanted to do this for my team and my coach Gavin Burren. They all backed me for so much and running is so much more than making certain teams and honestly I don’t think I could put anything on top of this right now.

“Things like that [missing the team] are going to burn at the start, but it’s part of the sport. You have got to take it. It’s no discredit to the other girls, whoever gets selected, all of these girls are amazing athletes.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article