Peter Bol: WA Olympian not attending Australian of the Year Awards after failing doping test

WA Olympian Peter Bol will not attend the Australian of the Year Awards as he retreats from public view while contesting a career-threatening failed doping test.

The 800m national record holder was considered a frontrunner for the Young Australian of the Year gong following his exploits at both the Tokyo Olympics and last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Away from the track – where the 28-year-old was the first Australian runner in 53 years to qualify for an Olympic 800m final — Bol also works as a coach, mentor and motivational speaker.

In October, Athletics Australia named Bol the Peter Norman Humanitarian Award winner for his work for a range of charities helping children to achieve their dreams both on and off the track.

However, following revelations Bol had tested positive to synthetic EPO, The West Australian understands he now plans to skip the Australian of the Year Awards ceremony, which is being held in Canberra on Wednesday evening.

Bol’s manager James Templeton did not respond to a request for comment.

The Sudanese migrant has strongly denied doping and has requested an analysis of the second sample — known as the B sample — of a urine test taken on October 11 last year that returned a positive result in January.

In a statement released via social media last Friday, Bol stridently protested his innocence and asked that “everyone in Australia believe me and let the process play out”.

“When I found out last week that the A Sample from a urine test taken on 11 October had tested positive for synthetic EPO I was in total shock,” Bol said.

I didn’t do anything wrong, I will stand by my answer, it will never change.

“To be clear, I have NEVER in my life purchased, researched, possessed, administered, or used synthetic EPO or any other prohibited substance.”

He added that he had voluntarily provided Sports Integrity Australia with his laptop, iPad and mobile phone as part of their investigation into the failed test.

Analysis of Bol’s B sample is expected to take place in February, with the Olympian — who has been provisionally suspended — writing his “career, hopes and dreams are literally hanging in the balance over these next few weeks”.

In a hint that a withdrawal from public engagements was likely, Bol asked that “everyone respect my privacy” during his ongoing suspension.

The National Australia Day Council, which runs the annual awards ceremony held on the eve of Australia Day, has confirmed Bol remains in the running for the honour despite the “potential anti-doping violation”.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Sunday, Bol said had absolutely no idea how the positive sample came about.

“I know for sure I have never done any needles or injected anything, not even thought about taking performance enhancing drugs let alone injecting it,” he said.

“If it was something like a protein (irregularity) then you can go back and try and think about a protein shake you had at a cafe. My understanding is that it (EPO) is pretty hard to get and that you do it through a syringe which is just outrageous.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, I will stand by my answer, it will never change.”