Australian runner Torrie Lewis shatters 100m national record

Australian sprint sensation Torrie Lewis has put the world on notice with a blistering run against some of the biggest names on the planet.

Torrie Lewis has delivered a run to remember during her heat at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Lewis lined up in the third heat of the women’s 100m alongside world champion American Sha’Carri Richardson.

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The 20-year-old burst out of the blocks in lane eight and was neck and neck with Richardson before the American moved away late.

But the Aussie wasn’t to be denied as she kept pace with her rivals to cross the line third with a time of 11.08.

The time lowers her previous national record of 11.10 and sees her advance into the semi-finals of the event.

Richardson won the heat in a time of 11.03 while 200m world champion Shericka Jackson finished second in 11.04.

Watch Lewis’ scintillating run in the video player above

Torrie Lewis (left) breaks the national record in her 100m heat. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

Lewis knew a record-breaking run was on the horizon after her output at training had shown she was in scintillating form.

“I just needed to come out here and get rid of the nerves and do what I’ve been doing in training,” Lewis said after the run.

“I know it probably sounds a bit cocky (to expect to break the national record) … but my times in training indicated that I could.”

The stunning run from the young Aussie star drew widespread praise with fans loving her efforts against some of the best runners on the planet.

Australian Athletics wrote on X: “Headwind, no problem! Let’s break a record. Torrie Lewis has broken her 100m Australian Record with a huge performance in the heats of the World Championships. Surging through a 1.4 headwind, Lewis resets her record to 11.08.”

The Herald Sun’s Scott Gullan wrote: “Torrie Lewis goes bang … breaks her own national record running 11.08sec in heats of world championships.”

Another wrote: Torrie Lewis LFG.”

Australia's Torrie Lewis (L) crosses in third. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

Lewis’ impressive feat set the platform for Rohan Browning and Joshua Azzopardi who had their heats later in the night.

Browning got away cleanly and looked like he had a top three finish sewn up, but in the final 10-15m he faded and crossed the line in fifth with a time of 10.16s.

Azzopardi didn’t have quite the same luck as he finished sixth in his heat with a time of 10.41.

It was heartbreak however for Browning who had to wait until the final heat to see if he had qualified for the semi-finals.

Unfortunately his time proved just shy with the final spot being locked up with a time of 10.15s, meaning he missed out by 0.01s.

All eyes in the heats however were on Olympic and World Champ Noah Lyles who despite a slow start cruised to victory with a 9.95s run.

Torrie Lewis will return to the track on Sunday night when the women’s 100m semi-finals get underway from 9:20pm (AEST).

Originally published as Australian runner Torrie Lewis shatters 100m national record