Sydney University Athletics very own Rohan Browning made history on Saturday, becoming the second-fastest Australian 100-meter sprinter of all time.
The 23-year-old clocked a blistering 9.96 seconds to win the race at Wollongong’s Illawarra Track Challenge on Saturday, cracking the magical 10-second barrier.
An illegal tailwind of 3.3 meters per second meant Browning time didn’t count towards qualifying towards the Tokyo Olympics. However, his enviable sub-10 speed has placed him in a very exclusive club of athletes- with only one other Australian having ever achieved the astonishing feat electronically. National record holder Patrick Johnson accomplished it on three occasions, twice wind-assisted and once with a legal wind when he set the current national record of 9.93 seconds.
“When you cross the line it is almost underwhelming, and when you hear that first syllable of ‘nine-point’ it feels like pure vindication,” said Browning, reflecting on his accomplishment. “It feels like six years of committing yourself to something.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, Browning was back on the track an hour later clocking 6.55 seconds in the NSW 60m Championship finals – an Australian best on record (outdoors) and the fourth-fastest all-time on the World list (outdoors).
Respectively a late bloomer in the world of athletics, Browning is aiming for a long career on the track with his best times yet to come. “I should have another ten years or more in the sport if I look after myself and I feel like I’m in the right hands with (coach) Murph.”
Superlatives for Rohan Browning’s 100m 9.96w (+3.3m/s)
- Fifth fastest time ever on Australian soil
- Fastest time on Australian soil for 18 years (since 2003)
- Fastest time in NSW for 21 years – since the Sydney Olympics
- Second fastest Australian ever and second to break 10 seconds (electronically)
Superlatives for Rohan Browning’s 60m 6.55 (0.1 m/s)
- Australian best on record (outdoors)
- Fastest time on Australian soil
- Fourth fastest World all-time list
See full details of Browning’s success here.
Image credit: Illawarra Mercury
