Torrie Lewis has beaten Australia’s No.1 sprinter Riley Day and equalled under 18 record of Sally Pearson
She has equalled the under 18 100m sprint record of Olympic hurdles champion Sally Pearson and beaten Australia’s No.1 female sprinter Riley Day. Meet St Peters Lutheran College schoolgirl sprint sensation Torrie Lewis.
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She has equalled the under 18 100m sprint record of Olympic hurdles champion Sally Pearson and beaten Australia’s No.1 female sprinter Riley Day. Meet St Peters Lutheran College schoolgirl sprint sensation Torrie Lewis.
Lewis, 15, has a sizzling personal best 100m time of 11.57 seconds which qualifies for the 2021 world junior championships and makes her a near certain selection for the 2022 Commonwealth Games - when she will still be in year 12 at St Peters.
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At last month’s Queensland All Schools athletics championships she equalled Pearson’s under 18 record in the 100m - but comparisons to Pearson don’t end there.
“I have known Sally since she was 12 and I remember when she was 14 and I said to her ‘don’t have a goal of going to the Olympics, have the goal of winning the Olympic gold’,’’ said Lewis’ coach Gerrard Keating.
“Sally loved to compete and so does Torrie.
“The fact is there is only one Sally. But I know where Torrie can get to. Torrie has everything,’’ he said in reference to Lewis’ off-track work ethic and fierce desire mirroring that of Pearson.
“And what Torrie has done in the last seven months, she is the best (junior) I have ever seen in my 30 odd years in this sport.
“And from the moment I saw her, I thought that.’’
Originally from Newcastle, Lewis moved to Brisbane at the start of the year with her mother Wendy.
When COVID-19 closed in, coach Keating was stranded in Newcastle but he wrote a program for Lewis which she has religiously followed while training on her own.
“To do it pretty much by herself, setting it up all, warming up and doing everything correctly, it shows the drive that she has,’’ Keating said.
Lewis’ mother films the sessions for Keating and he sends back reports on her technique.
The result was Lewis’ Queensland record equalling sprint victory at last month’s All Schools State Titles, and a recent win over Australia’s No.1 sprinter, fellow Queenslander Riley Day.
She is ranked the world No.1 under 16 100m and 200m runner, world No.3 in the under 18 age group, and is Australia’s No.1 under 20 sprinter.
Lewis, a Macquarie Hunter Athletics Club junior, said running sub 11.70 had exceeded her expectations.
“I was aiming to run high 11.60’s and 23.80’s (200m), so it was really good that I ran faster than I thought I would.
Lewis praised coach Keating, saying his confidence in her had added to her self belief.
“I always trust that he believes in me which gives me more confidence.
“And St Peters allows me to balance my athletics with my school and they have given me a lot of support, which has really helped me.’’
Lewis said her aims for 2021 were to win the junior 100m and 200m national titles and make the Australian team for the 2021 world junior championships (under 20s).
St Peters Lutheran College director of sport, Shaun Nodwell said “Torrie’s impact on the College has been immense’’.
“She is well liked and respected by her peers and has maintained an outstanding academic record around all her track field training and competitions. The College is very proud of her achievements.”
Lewis is one of two elite female sprinters at St Peters - the other is the lightning fast Hilal Durmaz.
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