KEY POINTS
- There's a new national record for the 800m.
- Joseph Deng clocked one minute 43.99 seconds, beating Peter Bol's benchmark.
- Bol is said to be "thrilled" a new record has been set.
Joseph Deng has broken the Australian record for the 800 metres.
Deng has clocked one minute 43.99 seconds at a meet in Lyon, France, overnight, shaving 0.01s from Peter Bol's benchmark.
The 25-year-old Deng is a training partner of Bol, who was thrilled to watch the bettering of his record.
Australian athletics agent James Templeton watched Deng's race while trackside with Bol.
The 25-year-old Joseph Deng is a training partner of Peter Bol (pictured), who was thrilled to watch the bettering of his benchmark. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
"We were at the 100-metre mark screaming at him with about 100 metres to go.
"The funny thing was when Joe went across the line it was 1:44.02 and Pete and I were jumping up and down, Pete was jumping up and down.
"And then within 10 seconds they adjusted it to 1:43.99 and Pete was jumping up and down even more.
"He was absolutely rapt, he was beside himself."
Bol then raced the 1,500m and recorded a personal best time of 3:34.52, with rising Australian Cameron Myers finishing third in 3:35.01, a national under-18 and under-20 record.
Joseph Deng (R) and Peter Bol (L) of Australia running in the men's 800m race at the 2018 Diamond League athletics meet in Monaco. It was here that Deng set a new Australian 800m record that would later be beaten by Bol. Source: AAP
The family arrived in Queensland in 2004, with Deng soon showing huge promise as an athlete.
Deng set a new 800m record in 2018 at the Diamond League athletics meet in Monaco, finishing seventh in one minute 44.21 seconds.
Bol then beat that at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when he finished a qualifying heat in one minute 44.13 seconds, and again when he won the semi-final at one minute 44.11 seconds.
