Teenager Leah O’Brien breaks 57-year-old Raelene Boyle record

Australia has another young gun sprinter after a teenager announced herself by breaking an Aussie legend’s longstanding record.

Australia has another young sprinting prospect on its hands after teenager Leah O’Brien announced herself by breaking a 100m record held by Raelene Boyle for 57 years.

At the Australian athletics championships in Perth, O’Brien ran a legal time of 11.14sec (+1.7), eclipsing Boyle’s record of 11.20sec set at the 1968 Mexico Olympics — a mark that has stood for nearly six decades.

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Running in the Under 18 girls 100m final on Tuesday, O’Brien produced a personal best time that even surprised herself.

“I honestly thought my race in the heats (11.46) was a really good time, I expected to maybe go 11.3 in the final but I’m so happy because I have been working really hard for that,” the 17-year-old said.

“It’s around the time that the Open girls run which is crazy to be running that still in high school.”

O’Brien won the Under 18 200m in a time of 23.37 and she plans to compete in the open age national championships in Perth later this week.

Watch Leah O’Brien’s 100m race in the video above

Leah O'Brien broke Raelene Boyle's Under-18 100m record set 57 years ago. Photo: Australian Athletics.

The teenager could barely believe it. Leah O'Brien broke Raelene Boyle's Under-18 100m record set 57 years ago. Photo: Australian Athletics.

“I’m going to come back and run the Opens,” O’Brien said.

“I really look up to the top girls in Australia like Torrie Lewis and Bree Masters. I’m always watching their Instagram reels and looking at their photos, it just looks so great and inspirational.

“A lot of my family and friends are here, this is definitely the most support I have ever had. It’s so great to experience this moment with the people I love and share the happiness.”

“I think I have really put my name out there and hopefully I can be in contention for teams in the future.”

Raelene Boyle had held the Under-18 record for 57 years. (Photo by Steve Powell/Getty Images)

Raelene Boyle is a living legend. (Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images)

Boyle is one of Australia’s greatest ever athletes, having won three Olympic silver medals and seven Commonwealth Games golds across a stellar sprinting career.

Her time of 11.20sec was good enough for fourth place at the 1968 Olympics and stood for 57 years before it was broken by O’Brien.

The Australian women’s 100m record is 11.10sec, set by Torrie Lewis last January.

O’Brien’s impressive result means Australia’s sprinting stocks are looking very strong for the next decade with the likes of Lewis, Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout in fine form.

In the Under 18 Boys 100m race, South Australian Kelechi Ekwomadu won in 10.40 (+2.8), with Gout Gout’s training partner Jonathan Kasiano claiming silver in 10.54 with Oliver Facer (NSW) rounding out the podium in 10.58.