Rohan Browning ditched rugby for running because ‘he would meet more girls’
When Rohan Browning was weighing up whether to continue playing rugby or get serious about running, the wife of his athletics coach gave him some sage advice. Track and field is good for your love life.
Athletics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Athletics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
When Rohan Browning was weighing up whether to continue playing rugby or get serious about running, the wife of his athletics coach gave him some sage advice.
“She turned to me and said: “Rohan, you should think about dropping rugby and making the jump to track and field, it’s a better way to meet girls.”
Elizabeth Lindwall was speaking from experience given she’d married former Olympic triple-jumper Andrew Murphy.
That conversation was less than five years ago. Now Browning is the third fastest Australian sprinter in history.
“That’s not what necessarily sold me,” Browning says about the meeting girls line. “It was more when you start winning races but she made a good point though.”
Browning put down his historic marker last weekend in Brisbane, clocking 10.08sec to jump onto the podium of Australia’s fastest men behind Patrick Johnson (9.93sec) and Matt Shirvington (10.03sec).
THE NEW WAVE
10.08sec Rohan Browning Brisbane, March 23 2019
10.10sec Trae Williams Gold Coast Feb 16 2018
10.15sec Josh Clarke Canberra Feb 6 2016
10.15sec Jake Doran Finland July 1 2018
10.19sec Jack Hale Brisbane March 23 2019
FASTEST AUSSIES
9.93sec Patrick Johnson Japan, May 5 2003
10.03sec Matt Shirvington Kuala Lumpur Sept 17 1998
10.08sec Rohan Browning Brisbane, March 23 2019
10.08sec Josh Ross Brisbane, March 10 2007
His breakthrough performance was the latest instalment in the revolution of the sprint game in Australia.
In recent times we’d be lucky to have one decent sprinter but as we head into next week’s national championships there’s handful coming through who are all young and ambitious.
In the Brisbane race where Browning blitzed, Jack Hale set a new personal best of 10.19sec.
Think back to last year and all the buzz leading into the Commonwealth Games was about Trae Williams after he’d clocked 10.10sec.
Then then there is Oceania U/20 record holder Jake Doran who has a personal best of 10.15sec.
And the beauty of all this is that the oldest of the group are Browning and Williams at 21 years of age which augurs well for next year’s Tokyo Olympics and beyond.
Leading athletics commentator David Culbert compares the new wave of sprinters to the halcyon days of when legends Cathy Freeman, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Lauren Hewitt were going head-to-head.
“Being the fastest person in your country, male or female, is important and something that is worth celebrating and investing in,” Culbert said.
“I’ve never been a fan of, ‘We can’t get anyone a medal in that event so we can’t support it’. To me that is rubbish.”
Culbert points to Japan winning the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics as the reason Australia should focus on the relay with this new batch of sprinters.
Browning is excited about the relay equation but he also knows his new PB brings the sub-10 discussion into the frame even though many believe the Sydney sprinter might be better suited to the 200m.
“In the past I would have been a bit cautious to voice it (sub-10) whereas now we can look at the race, look at the data of the race and all of a sudden it’s achievable,” he says.
He knows there’s plenty of room for improvement given the Brisbane race was his first 100m for the season and his dietitian has since pointed out his skinfolds need improving.
Browning says he’s defied his background in many ways to emerge as Australia’s best sprint prospect.
“I am the biggest exponent of nurture over nature because when you look at my family you’d go, ‘This guy is probably adopted’.
“That’s what Dad’s colleagues are always saying to him at work.”
Rugby had been the staple with Andrew Browning, who is an investigator for ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption), a diehard Brumbies fan while his mother, Elizabeth Jackson, is an ABC radio presenter.
His two younger siblings, Hugh and James, seem more interested in the NBA than following in big brother’s footsteps.
Browning’s track and field journey took off when he moved to Trinity Grammar School in Year 9 where Murphy was in charge of the athletics program.
While his prowess on the track soon became evident, he also shone in the classroom scoring 99.3 in his VCE and is now studying a double degree of arts and law — with a major in French — at Sydney University.
“You need to be stimulated by different things and you need other interests,” he says about his college life. “I would be bored if I was just running full-time, I couldn’t live like that.”
Browning, who was a semi-finalist at last year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, has now qualified for the 100m at the Doha world championships in September where he expects Australia’s 4x100m relay team will be prominent.
And as he’s been told, a shiny medal around the neck would certainly help attract the girls.
Originally published as Rohan Browning ditched rugby for running because ‘he would meet more girls’
‘Nearly lost my life’: Olympians’ shock reveal
Australian Olympic athletics star Morgan Mitchell has opened up on one of the darkest moments of her life.
Round and round … and round: Aussie hero chases insane record as ‘cooked’ new challenge begins
Two years after completing a 3953km journey from Perth to Sydney, Australian cult hero Nedd Brockmann is about to embark on his next utterly insane challenge.