By John Salvado
Rohan Browning reckons it’s only a matter of time before he joins countryman Patrick Johnson in the exclusive sub-10 second club after clocking the fastest 100m time by an Australian on home soil.
Browning’s flying effort of 10.02 seconds at the national championships on Saturday was also the third quickest ever by an Australian – behind only Johnson’s national record of 9.93 set back in 2003 in Japan and his own personal best of 10.01 at the Tokyo Olympics.
It capped Browning’s best sequence of times at a single meet, having won his opening-round heat in 10.18 on Friday and his semi earlier on Saturday in 10.17.
Rohan Browning, right, pictured last month at the Sydney Track Classic. Credit:Getty
“In the past I would have really struggled to have run three rounds,” he said.
“I’m a lot more robust now; just a little bit older and more mature.
“I understand my body a lot better, and I want to be a threat on the global scene.
“So I’ve got to go sub-10.
“It’s bittersweet today, but it’s not far off.”
Browning said the run at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre felt technically very similar to his breakthrough effort of 10.01 in the opening round at the Tokyo Olympics.
And it came without the assistance of a tailwind or the sort of hot conditions craved by the sprinting elite.
“Thirty-degree weather and two-metre tailwinds is what you want, but nobody can control that,” said the 25-year-old.
“I’ll just keep racing this season and the day I get fast conditions, which I haven’t really had all year, purely down to bad luck, I’ll break through.
“It’s got me hungry for the rest of the year on the international circuit.”
Former Stawell Gift winner Dhruv Rodrigues Chico was a distant second in 10.21.
Teenager Torrie Lewis became the second-youngest winner of the blue-riband women’s 100m at the 100th edition of the national titles.
The 18-year-old Queenslander claimed gold as the first Australian across the line in 11.38 – a feat only Debbie Wells had achieved at a younger age.
“I try not to let milestones define me,” said Lewis.
“It’s really great and it’s such an honour but I want to be able to keep moving forward.
“To be able to do it this young is just more fuel for my future.”
Jessica Hull clocked a championship record of 4:04.19 to beat a high-quality field in the women’s 1500m.
Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abbey Caldwell was second and Tokyo Olympics finalist Linden Hall was third.
Sixteen-year-old Cameron Myers came up just short in his bid to become the second-youngest Australian man to win a national track title.
Myers led for much of the men’s 1500m but was eventually pushed into second place by surprise winner Callum Davies (3:37.92). Myers clocked 3:38.02 and Matthew Ramsden was third in 3:38.34.
Joel Baden locked in his spot on the team for August’s world championships in Budapest with victory in the men’s high jump (2.32m). Brandon Starc was second with 2.29m.
Mackenzie Little reversed the result from last year’s Commonwealth Games final, winning the women’s javelin with 61.46m ahead of two-time world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber (57.05m).
It was Barber’s first competition in 204 days.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Matt Denny (63.20m) claimed a sixth national discus title in commanding style.
AAP
