Australian middle-distance star Joseph Deng broke a national record with a sizzling run in France on Saturday night — and a heartmelting moment with training buddy and dear friend Peter Bol followed.
Five years after taking hold of the Australian men’s 800-metre record when he posted 1:44.21 in Monaco, Deng unleashed a 1:43.99 to again become the national record-holder.
He pinched the record from Bol, who had held it since capturing the unbridled love of Australia in three mesmerising runs at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
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In Lyon on Saturday night, Bol was warming up for a 1500-metre race at the top of the home straight as Deng whizzed past him, blitzed the closing stages and stopped the clock 0.01 of a second inside his great mate’s benchmark.
When Bol found out that Deng had eclipsed his record, he could not have been more ecstatic.
There’s probably no person better placed to describe the beautiful moment shared by Deng and Bol than the man who manages the two athletes, leading Australian athletics agent James Templeton.
He was watching the race with Bol and was in the thick of the euphoria.
“Pete was thrilled that Joe beat his record, Pete was absolutely beside himself,” Templeton told Wide World of Sports.
“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 dashed to the other end of the track to embrace his mate.
Some 20 minutes later, he put his game face on and ran a 1500-metre personal best, punching out a 3:34.52.
Deng’s phenomenal run nailed the Paris Olympics entry standard just over a week after the qualifying window opened.
In the French city of Strasbourg almost a month earlier, he’d chalked up a 1:44.48 to run a world championships qualifier.
In Lyon on Saturday night, Deng hammered along behind a pacemaker for 600 metres.
The remainder of the run made for one helluva sight — Deng, a day after turning 25, tilting back his head, pumping his arms and driving his long, lean legs as a pack of seven other flat-out runners trailed some 15 metres behind.
“It was a fantastic race,” Templeton said.
“You could tell from the very first 100 metres that he was on it, that he was out after a time.
“There was daylight behind him after 200 metres, by 400 metres he’s all over the pacemaker, he wasn’t drifting on the second lap up the back straight.
“He was just on it.
“It was a great race, a great effort.
“He battled away up the straight to hold onto a time and he was rewarded with the national record.
“It was just awesome.”
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