Tokyo is cruel to Australian star Peter Bol as he misses out on a semi-final berth in the 800 metres

“It was probably the most stressful championships I had, just waiting out there,” said Bol.

“Obviously [it was] a disappointing race, but [I made] a little bit of [an] error. It’s a patient game, and whoever’s the most patient always kind of comes top three, and I just didn’t have enough patience out there.

“You’ve got to be patient, you’re in the 800 and you have one move, and I made three, so making too many moves you just don’t win. You only have one move, and you got to go, and you got to come into absolute perfection, and I just misjudged it.”

The frustration for Bol is that he has had an outstanding year – he lowered the Australian record to 1:42.55 in Monaco in July this year only to run a disappointing race at the world championships.

“Obviously there’s a bit of disappointment, not making it through to the semis, but also it was a pretty incredible season,” he said.

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“I think it’s just tough to end it in a bad way, but it’s an unbelievable season compared to last year and the years before.”

Bol, a father and veteran now, is rooming with teenager Gout Gout, who makes his major debut on Wednesday night (AEST).

“I try not to tell him anything, because it’s better if you just kind of view it and how we conduct ourselves,” Bol said.

“I was running with him, in Monaco, and I said watch me like, I’m staying calm, you [still] get nervous – it’s part of the game. You still go out there and compete, so he knows what to do.”

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