Paris Olympics: Australian sprinter Rohan Browning finishes uni ‘slog’ as focus shifts to Games

Sprinter Rohan Browning has ticked off a key milestone ahead of a huge Olympic campaign, and he says the timing couldn’t be better.

Australian sprinter Rohan Browning is set to head to Paris straight off the back of his final university exam. Picture: David Ramos / Getty Images

Australian speed demon Rohan Browning has cleared his path for a singular focus on the Paris Olympics after finishing his final uni exam took “a load off his shoulders”.

Pending results, the 100m sprinter has completed an arts and law degree at The University of Sydney and is now eager to fully dedicate himself for preparing for the Olympics next July.

Browning, 25, will be heading to his second Olympics after running a personal best of 10.01 at the Tokyo Games.

“I’m feeling really good,” he said. “Training is going well, and I feel super happy with where things are at.

“Finishing this degree is like losing a load from off my shoulders. It just sets me up to focus on my sport and the timing couldn’t be better with the Olympics.”

Browning said the demands of the degree had helped him with his professionalism as an athlete.

Australian 100m sprinter Rohan Browning has just finished his uni degree ahead of a big build-up to the Paris Olympics. Picture: William West / AFP

He won’t be the only member of Australia’s athletics team in Paris to have recently graduated, with javelin thrower Mackenzie Little completing her medical degree at the same university last month.

“I have ostensibly finished, but it’s pending pass or fail of the final course,” said Browning with his fingers tightly crossed. “I’m optimistic about finishing – but I don’t have a bird in the hand quite yet.

“I think that, crucially, studying made me a bit more conscious of how I spend my time, and it gave me really good structure which was quite symbiotic with the training. I think the best advice for everybody who is studying (and in a high performance program) is to be structured with your time and to be really deliberate.

“Having said that, I spread my five-year degree over eight years because there are all these flexible options available that can make it really viable.”

A NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder, Browning said he was grateful to Sydney Uni for their patience while he has competed around the globe.

Browning logged consecutive times of 10.11 seconds at the world championships in Budapest this year, falling just short of the final. Picture: Hannah Peters / Getty Images

“It’s felt more like a slow burn because (the course) has been dragged out because I’ve chipped away at it,” he said.

“But I’ve been lucky the faculty has been so supportive while I’ve been overseas competing … it hasn’t always been super easy, but I’ve been very fortunate to have tutors who’ve been very supportive.”

Browning fell short of reaching the 100m final at the world championships in Budapest earlier this year with back-to-back times of 10.11 seconds in his heat and semi-final but said he was enjoying the challenge of performing consistently over a full season.

“It’s not having too many highs and lows and just being really consistent. That gives you the best platform to have a big breakthrough performance, and that’s what we’re aiming for this year – that unglamorous consistency,” he said.

“We’re right in the middle of the off-season and it’s a bit more of a slog, a bit more of a grind, but it’s quite enjoyable knowing we’re laying the foundational work that will serve me well in eight to 10 months.”