Peter Bol becomes first Australian in 53 years to make Olympic 800 metres final

Peter Bol has qualified for the men's 800 metres final in Tokyo, becoming the first Australian to achieve the feat since Ralph Doubell won gold at the 1968 Olympics.

Bol set an Australian and Oceania record with a time of 1 minute and 44.11 seconds to win his semi-final and guarantee automatic qualification for the decider on Wednesday night.

ABC News reports he held on to beat the rest of the field home, even having time to wag a finger on his right hand in celebration before crossing the line in first place.

Bol, who was born in Sudan, broke the national and Oceania record of 1:44.13 he had set in Saturday's first-round heats.

[Source: Abc.net.au ]