Torrie Lewis Secures National Women’s 100m Title by a Slim 0.004, While Rohan Browning Takes Men’s Crown by Just 0.005

PERTH: Torrie Lewis clinched the Australian women’s 100-metre title on Saturday night, winning by a mere four thousandths of a second, shortly followed by Rohan Browning, who took the men’s crown with a margin of just five thousandths, in an electrifying evening at Perth’s WA Athletics Stadium.

After an intense three-minute wait—allowing officials to confirm the results of a remarkable three-way photo finish—Lewis was crowned champion with a time of 11.24 seconds (.236).

Local talent Leah O’Brien, the 17-year-old who recently shattered the national under-18 record previously held by the iconic Raelene Boyle since 1968, secured the silver medal with a time of 11.24 seconds (.240).

The bronze medal went to Bree Rizzo (née Masters), who executed a desperate dip at the finish, resulting in a heavy fall that left her hands and left shoulder bloodied. The Paris 2024 Olympian clocked in at 11.25 seconds.

Browning claimed victory in the men’s race with a remarkable time of 10.01 seconds (.001), narrowly ahead of Lachie Kennedy, who finished in 10.01 seconds (.006).

The men’s race’s outcome was determined much quicker, with Browning receiving confirmation a mere 30 seconds after his dramatic dip, as he jubilantly raised his clenched fist in celebration.

Having previously dominated the field, Browning’s status had seen a dip following injury struggles post-Tokyo 2021 Olympics, exacerbated by the fresh talent emerging, particularly Kennedy and Gout Gout.

However, Saturday night’s performance reordered the hierarchy.

The 27-year-old Browning, significantly older than 17-year-old Gout—who did not compete in the open-age 100m—and the 21-year-old Kennedy, stated confidently in a media interview trackside, “There might have only been a few people in the stadium who thought this was possible, but you just have to believe in yourself.” He effectively matched his personal best with his time of 10.01 seconds.

“This win makes an emphatic statement. The training suggested I was in peak shape, and I knew it; I just hadn’t shown it yet. And that was alright,” Browning explained. “I aimed to come out and remind everyone who their dad is,” he cheekily added with a grin.

“This sport has selective memories. It’s hard to believe how many people came out to criticise me after a tough year.”

Online criticism fueled his desire to prove himself. “While I don’t closely follow social media, you can’t avoid the discussions. But I think nuffies are great for the sport—that’s my controversial take. You need engaged fans and people sharing opinions. I don’t take it too personally; I use it as motivation to demonstrate my capabilities.”

Unfortunately, the defending champion, 19-year-old Sebastian Sultana, missed the final due to a minor hamstring tear sustained in the semis earlier in the night.

The three female finalists—Lewis, O’Brien, and Rizzo—waited anxiously in the middle of the track just beyond the finish line during the three minutes required to sort out the results. A swarm of photographers positioned themselves, ready to capture the moment’s announcement.

Finally, esteemed commentator Bruce McAvaney declared Lewis as the winner. She celebrated with an ecstatic pirouette and a joyful scream, while a crowd of about 3000 erupted in applause.

“I saw Bree fall and thought, ‘You can’t beat a dip like that,'” Lewis recounted. “I’m thrilled. Following my performance at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne last month, where I didn’t perform well, I was dreading this race, thinking, ‘This is going to be dreadful.’ But I’m just so pleased I found my rhythm and secured another [national] 100m title.”

O’Brien had made waves as a promising young athlete earlier in the week, winning both the under-18 100m and 200m at the national junior championships, clocking 11.14 and 23.37 seconds, respectively. She notably broke the under-18 100m record set by Boyle during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

“To be honest, making the [open-age] final was my goal, so I’m incredibly thankful to be here,” O’Brien declared. “I’m looking forward to the next few seasons and excited to see what I can achieve henceforth.”

Despite her tough fall, Rizzo carried an optimistic mindset. “I knew it would take an extraordinary performance to win; this was the strongest field we’ve seen in ages,” she shared. “I had finished second three times previously and battled illness last year. I was so driven for this win that I put everything on the line—my legs feel like jelly now.”

“The tumble was entirely worth it. My hands are torn up, but we’ll recover, and that’s okay.”

Both the 100m finals were run under legal wind conditions: the women’s with a tailwind of +0.9 metres per second, and the men’s at +1.5 metres per second.

Leading up to the championships, there was a genuine possibility of seeing an Australian clock a legal sub-10-second 100m for the first time since 2003. Kennedy’s coach expressed optimism, saying he’d be “surprised” if his charge didn’t achieve the elusive mark. However, the Brisbane athlete posted times of 10.00, 10.16, and 10.01 seconds.

Meanwhile, Gout achieved two runs of 9.99 seconds in the under-20 100m on Thursday, albeit assisted by an illegal wind on both occasions.