‘Australia’s best sprinter’ – Lewis’ high praise from her former coach
Torrie Lewis is the name everyone is talking about in athletics. But what did it take to make her a star? Her former coach reveals what makes her special.
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Torrie Lewis is ‘the best sprinter this country has ever produced’ according to the mentor and coach who helped guide her to become a budding star.
And he believes she is ready to prove it and take her racing to the next level ahead in an important three months for the 19-year-old.
Her former coach Gerrard Keating, from Ballarat, is not surprised at her success in the past 12 months.
He’s predicted since Lewis was a young Little Athletics sprinter that she was destined to be an Australian star of the future.
And he should know what it takes to find talent.
Keating not only won a national title in the 100m in 1986 and held the Australian record, but has been a coach for more than 30 years, producing Stawell Gift winners and national stars.
Lewis won her first ever Diamond League event last month, claiming the 200m in China and beating 100m world champion and American Sha’Carri Richardson from lane nine.
It followed her breaking the 100m Australian record earlier this year, with a time of 11.1sec.
Right now she is on track to compete in the 200m at the Paris Olympics after winning the national championship in the event the past two years.
Her best time of 22.94 in the 200m is 0.7 seconds away from the all-time Australian record and is 0.2 seconds away from the under-20 Australian record, which hasn’t been broken since 1968.
“She’ll break that for sure,” Keating said.
“She’s the best sprinter this country has ever produced.
“She may not have the medals now or yet but again that will be proven.
“She’s our best 100m and 200m runner that this country has ever seen, male or female.”
Keating had been her coach from her first foray into athletics up until last year when the two parted ways.
But he’s still in contact with her regularly, guiding her through her athletics journey.
AUSTRALIA’S NEXT OLYMPIC SPRINT MEDALLIST
Keating first discovered Lewis when she was running around in Little Athletics at the age of 11.
Not much was known of Lewis but when the Ballarat coach laid eyes on her, he knew it was a talent he needed to nurture.
“I just saw something,” he said.
“When I saw her at the first day of the clinic, I rang my colleague, the other development officer and said ‘I've just seen Australia’s next medallist on the track’.
“He asked questions and then I told him about her.
“I’ve never ever looked at a 10, 11 or 12 year old and think they are the next big thing but with her I just saw it.”
When she was 12, after a year of setting up a program with Lewis and her mother, Keating knew he’d need to make a sacrifice and move to Newcastle to train her one-on-one, or risk losing a precocious talent.
“I thought she’s getting to that age where she needs the one-on-one,” he said.
“So I made the decision to move to Newcastle for her.
“That was the belief I had in her.
“I always had that belief in Torrie, a lot of people didn’t.
“A lot of people thought I was talking it up a bit too much.
“I was in Newcastle for three and a half years and then her mum got a job in Queensland and she asked if I would go back to Queensland and I was like yeah absolutely I’ll follow her back.
“I moved to Brisbane for her and it kind of kicked off.”
And Lewis started to show what Keating saw in her.
“She really hit her straps and make people notice her at 14,” he said.
“But they were still umming and ahhing.
“Then when she hit 15 she broke the 100m Australian record in under-16 and it hadn’t been beaten since 1977.
“Then people took notice.
“All these people that doubted me are now jumping on the bandwagon.”
So what makes Lewis so special?
A lot of her attributes, according to Keating, remind him of another Australian athletics great.
“She’s just a natural runner,” he said.
“Cathy Freeman when she was young, she was a natural runner.
“I used to say to her mother when Torrie was born she was stamped runner on her birth certificate.
“She just had that natural flow, a lot like Cathy when she was young.”
SETBACKS FOR LEWIS
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the 19-year-old and her coaching mentor.
During Covid she was forced to train by herself in Brisbane while Keating was based in Newcastle and unable to move because of the border closures.
Her determination ensured she powered on, working solo to implement every training session required, as outlined by Keating.
“She takes it (negative and positivity) in her stride because she knows where she wants to go,” Keating said.
But her career was almost over at 17.
A severe hamstring injury almost forced her off the track forever but Keating and Lewis fought back and now she’s in career best form with plenty of upside.
“Before world juniors two years ago, 10 days before we were meant to leave she tore her hamstring really bad,” Keating said.
“It was nearly career ending to be honest.
“It put her out for six to eight months and I was really bullish on not rushing at all (to get back).
“If it takes longer, that’s what we do.
“We went to Tasmania (after the injury) and did some pro races.
“She won the Devenport Gift off scratch and then the Burnie Gift off scratch.”
The injury, while devastating, was also a silver lining.
It allowed her to be a kid at 17, rather than being in the spotlight too early.
“I firmly believed she would have broken the open record (if she wasn’t injured),” he said.
“But it wasn’t the right time.
“It would have screwed up her year 12 as everyone would have wanted her.”
KEATING’S INCREDIBLE PREDICTIONS
Lewis’ success has not surprised Keating, in fact he predicted it to happen in a conversation he had with her mother in 2020.
“I said to her mother when she was 16, I’ll guarantee she’ll break the women’s open 100m before she is 20.
“She’ll break the junior 200m record.
“The senior 200m is a tough one and is really world class but she might get that at 21.”
He also made sure Lewis was primed to be ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics in 2024.
“When Torrie was 15 I said to her don’t just have the goal of making the Olympics in 2024, have the goal of making the final,” Keating said.
“Make that the goal, make the 200m final.
“Make that your goal because I honestly believe you can do that.
“Now she does believe it.
“She told me recently ‘that’s my goal I reckon I can make the 200m final.”
The lofty goals continue.
“I said at the next Olympics in 2028, win a medal,” Keating said.
“Make the goal to win a medal.
“I 100 per cent believe she can.”
FOCUS ON THIS YEAR
There was some criticism of Lewis’ decision to miss the 100m national event to focus on the 200m race instead.
Keating was adamant that for where Lewis was right now in her career, the focus should be on the 200m for the Olympics.
Especially with another big event not long after the Paris Games.
“I think the smart decision is to focus on the 200m for the Olympics and the relay and then in the juniors (world championship) she goes and wins the 100m and 200m double,” he said.
“To me, the 200m will be the one where she really challenges for medals and stuff.”
Keating said in 2028 she could focus on the 100m and 200m at the Olympics.
“With her I’ve always kind of thought she could run under 11 seconds for the 100m and under 22 seconds for the 200m.
“At the moment her first 30 (in the 100m race) is getting better but it’s not great. As she gets older and stronger then her first 30m will improve.
“A lot of work we did, with her technique was to be in a good position from 30m to 70 metres.
“We’ve achieved that, so she’s able to hold her top speed better than any sprinter in this country and it is world class.
“The first 30 will now come as you get older and stronger.”
Keating is confident the young star can handle all the pressure which will come her way.
“She’s got a great personality and never does get ahead of herself,” he said.
“Because of her personality, a lot like Cathy (Freeman), she just takes it in their stride, and doesn’t get overwhelmed.
“She was exactly the same person as she was before this (the fame).”
Lewis will find out if her Olympic dreams will come true in the next couple of months.
Her ranking, right now, should get her there.
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Originally published as ‘Australia’s best sprinter’ – Lewis’ high praise from her former coach
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