Podium victories for Bol and Hull at Doha Diamond League

The meteoric rise of middle distance stars Peter Bol and Jessica Hull has continued overseas, with both athletes gracing the podium in the first leg of the 2022 Wanda Diamond League in Doha, Qatar this morning. 

After winning each of his races domestically this Summer, Bol (Justin Rinaldi) continued his habit of strong performances with his first ever Diamond League placing in the Men’s 800m. 

The Tokyo fourth-place getter stopped the clock at 1:49.35 to finish in second place and stunned crowds when taking out reigning world champion Donavan Brazier (USA) and Olympic silver medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich in his international season opener.

Kenya’s Noah Kibet edge out the Australian (1:49.08) but it was Bol that impressed by gritting his teeth and making his move in the final moments of the race to overtake Canada’s Marco Arop. Bol was the second quickest in the field in the final 100m, recording a speedy 12.4 seconds, which ultimately helped him cement his victory.

“Today was a bit of a crazy race with the wind. I knew I had to stay controlled on the backstraight. Of course I’m really happy with that decision and how it worked out,” Bol said.

“The time doesn’t matter so much to me, but that’s my first placing in a Diamond League. I’m hoping there will be a few more to come. I’m really happy with it.”

After placing sixth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, Jessica Hull (Pete Julian) continued her upward trajectory across 3000m in Doha to place third in a stacked field featuring Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon and Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba. 

Though a battle ensued between the two East African greats for the Doha crown, Hull relied on her fitness to move forward in the bunched-up race, crossing the line in 8:40.97.

“I wasn’t too sure what to expect in terms of pacing, it’s the first race of the season for a lot of the Kenyans and Ethiopians so you never quite know how they’ll take it out. My goals were to practise the race craft I’ll need later in the season when we get to the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, and to forget about times and race the race in front of me,” Hull said. 

“It stayed pretty bunched up for a long time because of the wind. I started feeling better and better the further into the race we got. As a 1500m runner, I knew I could close pretty well if I could be there at the bell. I’m really excited about where my fitness is though, and I was ready for a fast race today too, if that’s what came about.”

While Hull will turn her attention now to the second leg of the Diamond League in Birmingham next week, the 25-year-old has made her intentions clear:

“I feel good about the race tonight, it was a really good run. Going forward my plan is to focus on the 1500m, but I believe this is a good start for the season.”

Kicking off their international campaigns this morning were Melbourne Track Club duo Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) and Matt Ramsden (Nic Bideau) in the Men’s 1500m. 

Though all eyes were on McSweyn after a hiatus over the Australian domestic season, the race did not come easy to the Olympic finalist, citing a gluteal strain in the first 110m. 

Ramsden finished the race in sixth place in 3:38.83, while McSweyn finished towards the back of the race in 11th place (3:48.67).

Other results tonight saw Olympic steeplechaser Ben Buckingham (Nic Bideau) contest the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, placing 14th in a time of 9:06.21. 

Brandon Starc (Alex Stewart) also stepped up for only his third meet of the year, but with tough conditions against him, he failed to clear the bar at the opening height of 2.16m.

The Wanda Diamond League action continues next week, with eight Australians competing at the  Müller Birmingham leg, taking place at the new Alexander Stadium on Saturday, 21 May.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 14/5/2021