Josh Azzopardi leads field with Gout Gout, Kennedy and Sultana in chase for 10-second 100m

Josh Azzopardi is closing in on the 10-second barrier as he prepares to headline a field of Australian sprint sensations in the 100m at the Sydney Track Classic.

Josh Azzopardi can’t guarantee he will break the 10-second barrier on Saturday night at the Sydney Track Classic - but he knows it is coming as a cracking field of Australian sprinters push each other to new heights.

Teenage sensation Gout Gout is one of the hottest properties in Australian sport right now. Lachie Kennedy recently broke the national and Oceania records in the 60m and ran 10.03s in Perth.

Azzopardi ran in Perth as well, flying home in a new personal best of 10.09s. Australia’s sprinters are enjoying a purple patch and Azzopardi insists they it is only a matter of time before one or all enter sprinting’s most rarefied air.

“We always talk about it because there is definitely massive belief among the group that we can beat those times now,” Azzopardi said.

READ MORE: Gout, Browning, Azzopardi and Kennedy in race to break historic 10-second 100m mark

Australian Olympic athlete Josh Azzopardi. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“So I think it’s only a matter of time before one of us (breaks 10s). It’s definitely something that me and my coach have spoken about.

“At the start of the season - post-Olympics - we were kind of saying that the next step that we want to take is to run under 10 seconds.

“We’ve got Lachie chasing it as well, we’ve got Seb (Sultana) chasing it, we’ve got Gout chasing it. I can definitely see one of us doing it this year and I’m going to try make myself be the first one to do it.

“So we’ll see how that goes.”

Australian sprinter Joshua Azzopardi will headline the star-studded field. Picture: Michael Klein

Azzopardi and Sebastian Sultana will headline the field in the men’s 100m at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre on Saturday night, Azzopardi’s final event before heading to China to compete in the 60m at the world indoor championships.

Less than 24 hours later all eyes will turn to Brisbane where teen star Gout will headline the Queensland track championships and the 100m final on Sunday afternoon.

These lead up races are all building towards the national titles in Perth next month, where they will all try to push each other into the sub 10s territory.

A veteran of the Paris Olympics, where he competed in the 10m and the 4 x 100m relay, Azzopardi’s story could have taken a different turn six years ago when he was approached by Rugby Australia’s sevens program.

Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout will be among the field. Picture: Getty Images

They came armed with footage of American sevens player Carlin Isles, a former track star who made the transition and became a try-scoring machine.

Azzopardi thought about it and then thought about competing in the 100m at the Olympics.

“I just came out of world juniors in 2018 and there was just something about making the Olympics for the 100m that really caught my eye,” Azzopardi said.

“So I turned that down back in 2019. I hadn’t really solidified myself as a top athlete, but as a junior I was doing pretty well under not much training.

“So I was just wondering where I could take it if I fully committed to my training, to my diet. It just took off from there.”

American rugby star Carlin Isles was a former track star who transitioned sports. Picture: AAP

Azzopardi got his Olympics wish in Paris and now he and his relay teammates have loftier goals. Breaking records and winning medals is on their agenda.

“We’re all mates and stuff and hang out at relay camps together, but then when it comes to an individual standpoint, you’re obviously out there to beat each other,” Azzopardi said.

“So you’ve got to find the balance of being mates and then being competitors at the same time. But once we’re on a relay kind of camp and team, then we’re all chasing that one goal to break 38s or break the national record.

“I think the boys have figured out how to juggle that. It’s been good at the moment.”

There’s also that 10-second barrier.

Joshua Azzopardi in action during the 2024 Paris Games. Picture: Getty Images

“So it comes down to conditions as well and how lucky you are with the weather,” Azzopardi said.

“Obviously having a tailwind would be ideal, a nice hot day and then you throw in the fact that you might be able to do it at a major (event) because you’re more hyped up and more motivated.

“Half of the time it’s just about getting your body right and your body not carrying any niggles, which is really rare in a sport like this.

“The speed that we’re traveling, .10s is a metre, right? So you have to try to find a metre within a race. That’s probably one of the toughest things in the sport - once you start running very quick.