Australian Olympian Peter Bol has been cleared by Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), the country’s top anti-doping agency. SIA began an investigation earlier this year, reporting that Bol tested positive for rEPO—the synthetic version of EPO, and a banned substance that stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow—in an out-of-competition test. Bol was provisionally banned from competition by Athletics Australia in January.
The 800-meter runner, who finished fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and earned a silver medal at last year’s Commonwealth Games, was informed by SIA on Tuesday that he had received a false result.
“The World Anti-Doping Code requires a mandatory provisional suspension be imposed when a positive test for synthetic EPO is reported,” the integrity unit said in a statement. “In this case Athletics Australia was required to impose the mandatory provisional suspension. A subsequent independent analysis of the athlete’s B-sample returned an atypical finding which did not confirm the result of the A-sample.”
More From Runner's World
After that test result came back as “atypical,” Athletics Australia lifted its provisional ban on Bol, but the SIA investigation continued.
Back in March, Bol’s lawyers called on SIA to end its investigation and apologize for its “mistake.” While the apology didn’t happen, the 29-year-old celebrated this week’s news, writing in a statement that he shared on Twitter, “I have been exonerated. It was a false positive like I said all along! The news from Sport Integrity Australia was a dream come true.”
In a separate statement, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said that it would review its EPO testing process, saying, “While we have no reason to question the validity of the analytical method used for recombinant EPO, WADA will assess the current review process in light of the particularities of this case.”
Bol lauded the result on Twitter, writing, “No one should ever experience what I have gone through this year.”
Bol will now prepare for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where he’ll contest the 800 meters. “I am in good form and feeling well,” he said. “I appreciate all the support I have received.”
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
