World Athletics championships 2023: Rohan Browning intent on breaking 10-second barrier in 100m
Rohan Browning has put his 100m rivals on notice as they prepare to race at the world championships and has the coveted 10-second mark in his sights. Can he get there?
Australia’s fastest man Rohan Browning says he is “overdue” for a career moment as he sets his sights on breaking the magical 10-second barrier at the world championships.
Since he rocketed into the hearts and minds of the Australian public at the Tokyo Olympics, the “Flying Mullet hasn’t run faster than the 10.01sec he recorded in winning the opening heat of the 2021 Games.
His next best effort came in April this year when he scorched down the Brisbane track at the Australian titles to clock 10.02sec.
The 25-year-old has since run three more times under 10.11sec to give him a renewed sense of confidence coming into his fourth world championships appearance.
“I would say I’ve had my best year on average so far,” Browning said.
“I think I am overdue for the big breakthrough run and I’m hoping to time it for the world champs.
“A few years ago I didn’t have the confidence in my body, in my own robustness to be able to back up rounds and I knew I had to run to the absolute, I have to run a PB today to just get out of the heats.
“I think as the global event becomes increasingly deep and increasingly competitive I feel as if I have been keeping up.
“Certainly I think I am going into this championship in the best shape I have ever gone into any championship.
“It’s not easy to run personal bests at major championships, there is a lot of science and a little bit of art to making sure you are in the right shape and then also obviously executing in those very few fleeting seconds.
“I feel like now I am in a position where I can really put it all together.”
Browning has been in Europe for almost three months where he’s focussed on dealing with the pressure of lining up alongside some of the world’s fastest men.
“It is a big step and I think there is a bit of problem solving and figuring out how to do it physically,” he said. “How to compete at that level, how to compete when there are guys up on you, right on your shoulder pushing you all the way through.
“It’s about learning how to compete when you’re that small fish in the biggest pond imaginable. I think I have been steadily progressing, even though my best run on paper has been the 10.02sec at nationals, I think that there is a lot more there on the right day if I really perform well.”
The Sydney university student says racing against defending world champion, American Fred Kerley, in Australia in March was the perfect way to start the season.
“I think it was just brilliant, the meets this year on the domestic circuit were the best I have seen in my entire career in Australia,” Browning said.
“One of the beautiful things about this sport is that you look at all the results throughout the year, the times and the outliers, yet at the end of the day it’s a bit of a mugs game until it’s head-to-head at a championships.
“The field is deep this year, there is no one standout guy although obviously Fred is there and I’m not sure he’s lost in the 100 this year. Then there is Zharnel Hughes from the UK who ran 9.83sec world lead and (Ferdinand) Omanyala of Kenya is next (9.84).
“So there are all these different intertwining threads and narratives, there’s probably no one individual standout guy although I think the depth is very, very strong.
“There certainly won’t be an easy route through the heats and semis.”
Patrick Johnson remains the only Australian to run under 10 seconds, clocking 9.93sec in Japan in May 2003.
Browning kicks off his world championships campaign in the heats of the 100m early on Sunday morning.
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He’s been a key figure in Australian athletics for more than three decades and according to Nic Bideau he’s never seen a better track and field team.
A day out from the start of the world championships in Budapest, Cathy Freeman‘s former coach and Melbourne Track Club mentor has declared the depth of talent across-the-board is unprecedented in this 66-member Australian team.
“We have probably got the best athletics team we have ever had at the moment,” Bideau said.
“Usually it‘s a matter of one or two of them turning up and being around the medal mark but now they are everywhere, they are all over the place being capable of competing (for medals).”
Australia takes in two defending world champions in high-jumper Eleanor Patterson and javelin-thrower Kelsey-Lee Barber who is going for an unprecedented third consecutive world crown.
Pole vaulter Nina Kennedy won bronze at last year‘s world championships in Eugene while her training partner, Kurtis Marschall, is in career best form and an outside medal chance.
Olympic high-jump silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers is back fit and firing and ranked No. 1 in the world while decathlon bronze medallist in Tokyo, Ash Moloney, is also returning to full fitness.
The quality on the track has never been higher, particularly in the female middle-distance events with 1500m trio Jessica Hull, Lynden Hall and Abbey Caldwell all capable of being in the medals race while Catriona Bissett comes in ranked No. 6 in the world for the 800m.
Peter Bol will be the X-factor in the men‘s 800m after his traumatic year while his training partner Joseph Deng is back to his best, taking back the national record last month.
Discus thrower Matt Denny, Brandon Starc (high jump), Mackenzie Little (javelin) and walkers Jemima Montag and Declan Tingay will also be around the mark.
Bideau, who is the Australian team‘s middle distance coach, praised the work of the current hierarchy led by high performance general manager Andrew Faichney.
“There is a great empathy for all the people trying to be successful, they understand and there is a better vibe with this team,” he said. ”They don‘t all understand what each other does but they enjoy each other’s success.”
Ironically Bideau will have mixed emotions in Saturday’s heats of the 1500m when his own flesh and blood takes on the Australians.
Melbourne-raised Sophie O‘Sullivan is Bideau and former world 5000m champion Sonia O’Sullivan’s eldest daughter who has elected to follow in her mother’s footsteps and represent Ireland.
Sophie, who is now based in the US where she runs for the University of Washington, was recently crowned the U/23 European 1500m champion.
“She wasn‘t favourite for that race but she won it and is a real little tiger,” Bideau said. ”She wouldn’t have made the Australian team because we have got three girls who can be in the final this year.
“So she‘s getting her chance and everyone in Australian knows her when she was at school, when she was a kid and they don’t care, they’re still going to cheer her.
“She is still wearing green, just not wearing gold.”
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