Suffice to say she was very happy. Very.
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“I think I was super nervous for this competition because I knew in training that these are the times I can hit. Actually, this is the slowest time in my mind [that] I had. So hopefully I can just build on that.
“But I was so nervous coming into this because I just knew I could do it – I just needed to actually do it.”
Lewis did a double take when she saw the start list and the quality of the field she had drawn. Then she told herself it was a good thing.
“I was like, ‘Thanks guys – giving me the hardest one’. But after I let it sit, I was very glad I had them because, you know, I can just run with them, like, who cares if they beat me? They’re like the best in the world, ever, almost,” she said.
“So I just wanted to run as fast as I could with them, and see how I go.”
Lewis was coy on what the quickest time that she had in her mind was, but suffice to say it started with a 10, not an 11, and she’d obviously then be the first Australian woman to break 11 seconds for the 100.
“Yeah another one [record]. Now we’ll make it another one, and another,” she said.
Torrie Lewis produced a stunning run up against US superstar Sha’Carri Richardson.Credit: Getty Images
In a year of obsession over the new phenomenon Gout Gout, this was a reminder that before him came Lewis, also still a teenager, and the fastest Australian woman ever.
“I know I still have a lot of improvement in that start area, but I’m putting it together, so I’m happy.
“I’m just glad I didn’t let the nerves get the best of me – like I said I’ve been running those times and faster in training, so I just needed to come here and not get nervous and run. And, you know, it was a great test having Sha’Carri next to me and Shericka. I’ve proved to myself that I can do it.”
Did she plan to beat Richardson, or sit on her shoulder and let her drag her faster?
“I thought beat her,” Lewis explained.
“I thought, get out in front and beat her. But you know, when you’re that close, you can’t really tell if you beat her or not, so you just have to run anyway.
“I knew if I stuck with them, it would be [a national-record time] but you know, you obviously don’t know until you cross the line.
“I can get out there now with less nerves, do better and if I do as well as I think I can, make a final, but, you know, it’s gonna be very tough. I’m happy with my time now, so we’ll just see how it goes tomorrow.”
Rohan Browning (right) taking on Canada’s Jerome Blake (left) and Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain.” loading=”lazy” src=”https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.147%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/e5915ae300595aaa3b8d651757a45e5667100d5d” height=”390″ width=”584″ srcset=”https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.147%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/e5915ae300595aaa3b8d651757a45e5667100d5d, https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.147%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Cf_auto/e5915ae300595aaa3b8d651757a45e5667100d5d 2x”/>Rohan Browning (right) taking on Canada’s Jerome Blake (left) and Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain.Credit: Getty Images
Lewis enjoyed more luck than Rohan Browning, who missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals by one hundredth of a second.
Browning ran a disappointing fifth in 10.16 seconds in his heat, but was still a chance to advance to the semi-final as one of the three quickest times outside of the automatic qualifiers who finished top three in their heats. He was knocked out in the final heat when a third runner bettered his time by 0.01s.
“At the end of the day you can’t leave it up to chance,” he said.
“I feel like I actually had a great prep. Almost everything was good, so I really have no excuse. [I] Just didn’t run well.”
It was Browning’s slowest run of the year.
“Which is a shame because I’ve always gone on the law of averages, and you should be able to recreate your season average,” he said.
“My season average is my best-ever, so maybe today I was looking for that big outlier, and maybe I was just trying too hard for it.”
Browning changed coaches eight weeks ago, seeking a change to help unlock his ability.
“To be honest, I just need novelty, some fresh eyes and fresh environment. Jack [Edwards, his new coach] is a really great mate of mine – has been for a long time. We have a really good relationship. He tells me the hard truths, you know, if I need to hear them.”
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