Browning says bring on a sprint showdown
ROHAN Browning is itching for a showdown with fellow sprint sensation Jack Hale and anxious for the chance to post a 100m time that will get him to the Olympics after a sizzling sub-ten second performance on the weekend captured nationwide attention yet did nothing to get him on the plane to Tokyo.
The 23-year-old Sydney
University student stopped the clock at 9.96sec at the Illawarra Track Challenge at Wollongong on Saturday night to become only the second Australian behind Patrick Johnson to break the golden ten-second barrier.
A tailwind of 3.3m/second ruled the dynamite dash ineligible for Olympic qualification – 2m/sec of wind is the maximum – but he said on Sunday the blustery conditions were as distracting as they were helpful to his sails.
“It was an amazing feeling to cross the line and hear that first syllable of nine-pointnine-six,” Browning said.
“It felt like pure vindication for the work I’ve done for the last six years.
“A big wind like that, yes it helps you along. But at the same time it forces you into positions that can be difficult to sustain.”
Browning and Hale, the 22year-old from Tasmania, are on the cusp of a rivalry that could trigger renewed interest in Australian track and field.
Hale has just recorded 9.43sec for 100 yards, breaking the 55-year record of former Olympian Gary Eddy.
“The best rivalries are when two athletes are pushing each other and that’s what we’re going to have,” Browning said.