Peter Bol's World Athletics Championships exit a sign of the times for Australian track and field

When Peter Bol ran a 1:45 and finished fourth at an empty National Stadium in Tokyo four years ago, it was cause for an Australia-wide celebration.

When the same thing happened in front of 50,000 screaming fans on Tuesday night, the crowd was infinitely louder but there were no such celebrations from the Aussie contingent.

Since his breakout run in the 800m final of the 2021 Olympics — when he missed a medal by just 0.53 of a second — Bol has endured a doping nightmare, set multiple national records , been to another Olympic Games and run in two more world championships.

And all the while he has become an elder statesman in an exciting new era of Australian track and field, and with it, expectations have shifted dramatically.

Bol's 1:45.15 in his 800m heat at the World Athletics Ch