The New Kids on the Block | Boyes and Craig Arrive on 800m Scene

Rising 800m talents Luke Boyes and Peyton Craig are the first to declare they have unfinished business as Olympic qualification approaches its crescendo, but it is far from Paris or bust for the Blue Mountains bolter or Sunshine Coast sensation, who share their paths to the doorstep of a dream.

Most would assume that there is no greater time to breakthrough than an Olympic year, but just ask 19-year-old Craig and 20-year-old Boyes and they will reveal the double-edged sword of their own success.

Beginning the year as underdogs with little to lose, the duo became immediately potent on the domestic circuit, running fields into the ground with wins at the Adelaide Invitational (Craig, 1:45.41), Canberra Track Classic (Craig, 1:45.91), Sydney Track Classic (Boyes, 1:45.86), Australian Athletics Championships (Boyes, 1:44.73) and most recently the Oceania Athletic Championships (Craig, 1:46.33).

Now touching down in Europe to bolster their Olympic bids before the June 30 qualification deadline, the pressure gauge inevitably shifts as the accomplishment of season goals unlocks the reality of a lifetime dream, and ambition can often be mistaken for greed.

“It’s what everyone dreams to be and it’s the reason I started running, to try and become an Olympian. Whether it’s this year on in four years, it would be so special and mean the world to me, as it would to any other athlete,” Boyes said.

Having already punched his ticket to the 2024 World Under 20 Championships in Lima this August, Craig also has his mind set on claiming one of the final two potential remaining positions for Australia in the Men’s 800m at Paris 2024, after Peter Bol was selected in April.

“In an Olympic year you have to take yourself to the next level. The Olympics is my goal, but all I’m trying to do is become a better athlete every race. I would probably be a little more satisfied if it wasn’t an Olympic year, but there’s still one more hurdle to climb,” Craig said.

“I raced every Track Classic and now I’m over in Europe with every intention of qualifying for Paris, it’s been a cool experience being so young. I try to reflect on how far I have come and remind myself to be grateful and stay grounded.”

Set to race on Sunday with Craig to compete in Troyes, France while Boyes lands at the Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden, the pair have their eyes set on the 1:44.70 Olympic standard – regardless of their current positions sitting inside the Road to Paris rankings.

But as the fanfare and anticipation increases as Paris becomes a growing possibility, the rear-view mirror provides a timely dose of perspective.

A former triathlete undertaking his first full season in athletics, Craig strikes a balance of raw ability and a desire to find his personal limits. A fierce competitor who hates losing more than he likes winning, the 19-year-old is far from the smoothest mover, but his ability to break the tape is tried and tested.

“I have gone from racing for an hour to racing for one-minute and 45-seconds,” Craig said.

“Coming from triathlon, I was doing weeks on weeks at over 20 hours of training. You just can’t do that in athletics. It wasn’t annoying me, but I was always questioning and had doubts about if I was doing enough training until we found that balance of quality over quantity.”

Coached by Brendan Mallyon out of the Sunshine Coast and recently joining forces with Australian distance legend Craig Mottram under the On Athletics Club banner, the confident but casual operator reflects on his journey to date.

“I have lived on the Sunshine Coast for the last seven or eight years, but I was originally born in Gladstone in Central Queensland which is probably even quieter. It’s cool to remember where you come from. There’s bits and pieces like where I grew up and my family that really make me who I am as an athlete and person,” Craig said.

An Australian representative at the 2022 World Under 20 Championships in Colombia and selected for the 2024 instalment in Peru this August, Craig has progressed to ink his name in the record books with his personal best of 1:45.41 serving as the Australian Under 20 record.

As for pressure? Craig is aware, but far from afraid:

“People say that there is no such thing as pressure, but there definitely is. I feel the pressure I put on myself to be better and achieve the goals I have set out. If people say there is no pressure they are definitely lying. What I’m working on is my ability to handle that pressure.”

And then there is Luke Boyes. The humble, quiet achieving, national champion who is frustratingly good in the eyes of rivals and a pleasure to watch in the eyes of fans.

Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Boyes took the nation by storm with an emphatic Australian Championships triumph in a time of 1:44.73, just 0.03-seconds outside the Olympic qualifying standard to take down Peter Bol and Peyton Craig – stamping his arrival as an Olympic bolter.

“The race at Nationals made me realise that I nearly ran the qualifier and the Olympics is realistic. I just have to be planning as though I am going from a mental perspective for these upcoming races,” Boyes said.

“I pretty much don’t leave the mountain unless it’s for uni, track sessions or work. I still haven’t found somewhere in the world that I like more than the Blue Mountains. It’s really relaxing and I don’t have to deal with the rush of the city, I can get back to basics and keep things really simple.”

Coached by two-time Olympian Ben St Lawrence and training with Sydney’s Run Crew, the 20-year-old ramped up his training regime during the COVID-19 pandemic and soon found himself on the world stage at the 2022 World Under 20 Championships and 2023 World University Games – a testament to his talent.

“I have had a few disappointments but I just use it as motivation to attack all my races. I have learned that you can’t get complacent in the heats or the semis because you have people who have nothing to lose, I find it easier to just get out in front,” Boyes said.

“Ben has done everything that I want to achieve; it makes it much easier for me to stomach knowing that what we are trying to chase isn’t impossible because he’s done it. He is the biggest influence on my running career.”

With two races remaining on his international calendar to solidify his Olympic-qualifying campaign, the distinct figure with long levers and front-running tendencies is focusing on delivering more of the same as he carries his Olympic hopes in his legs.

“I definitely didn’t think I would be on the start list for these races as a 1:44 man. There are some big names who have been to the World Championships and Olympics, but I just have to make sure I keep trying to race aggressively and I don’t back off and let them have their way,” Boyes said.

In a rising Australian middle-distance landscape that is dominated by the success of teenage sensations Claudia Hollingsworth and Cameron Myers, athletics fans can add Peyton Craig and Luke Boyes to the growing list of eye-catching talent.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 14/06/2024