'I've got nothing to really answer for': Peter Bol lashes WADA, defends himself over screenshot

PARIS: Peter Bol has accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of playing a "political game" and defended himself over a screenshot on his phone that was made public during a court hearing in May.

Bol failed to advance directly to the semi-finals of the men's 800m in Paris on Wednesday, but the three-time Olympian will get another chance to nab a semi-final spot in the repechage round at the Stade de France.

Just over two months before the Olympic Games, the doping saga that's rocked Bol's career and life took a dramatic turn when Ross Wenzel, WADA's general counsel, said in another athlete's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing that a doping-related screenshot had been discovered on the Australian runner's phone.

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The screenshot was of an article that included a letter sent from Victor Conte, a convicted supplier of performance-enhancing drugs, to former UK sprinter Dwain Chambers, a convicted doper. The letter discussed micro-dosing with EPO in the off-season and how to trick the whereabouts system.

"If I wasn't able to race they would have banned me a while ago and I'm still here and I've got nothing to really answer for," Bol said, breaking his silence on the screenshot development after Wednesday's heat.

"I think you guys should be asking them the questions, and they should be answering for those comments.

"I just let them do what they wanted to do basically and just try to stay focused on my game, and things that I can't control I can't really focus on.

"The fact is I'm out here running and I'm grateful for that."

Bol had agreed for details from his case to be used during a CAS hearing concerning Croatian footballer Mario Vuskovic.

It was claimed during the hearing that Bol's phone was found to be clean, which prompted Wenzel to comment on the screenshot found on Bol's phone.

In an interview with Wide World of Sports on the back of the CAS hearing development, Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) chair David Howman described the turn of events as "unusual" but defended both Bol and Wenzel.

A full recording of the CAS hearing can be found on the WADA website.

"I'm actually uncertain when they pulled that out [the screenshot] ... but I mean, I read every article out there and there's probably a billion articles," Bol said.

"I read a lot on crime, and they decided to pull out just the one that suited them, which is again playing that political game."

Bol and former training partner Joseph Deng will both have to fight to keep their Paris campaigns alive in the repechage round of the men's 800m following disappointing runs on Wednesday.

But the other Australian contesting the men's 800m in Paris, 19-year-old Queenslander Peyton Craig, executed an impressive opening-round heat to advance directly to the semi-finals.

Bol is facing the prospect of being bundled out in straight sets three years after finishing fourth and capturing the hearts and minds of Australia at the Tokyo Games.

The 30-year-old was at the front of the pack for a considerable portion of his heat, but was swallowed up on the home straight at the Stade de France.

He needed to finish in the top three of his heat to head straight to the semi-finals, but finished seventh in 1:47.50.

Racing in the fastest of the six heats on his Olympic debut, Deng finished sixth in 1:45.87.

But Australia will be represented by at least one man in the 800m semi-finals after Craig, who's also making his Olympic debut in the French capital, finished third in his heat in 1:45.81.

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The Craig Mottram-coached runner lurked in second place from the outset and remained in the top three as the pace picked up over the final 200 metres.

"I put myself in the right place," Bol said.

"A bit of a physical match today, not the ideal race, but still went out there and gave it a go.

"I think I was probably too eager, went out too hard with that bell, probably should have stayed more relaxed."