Rohan Browning stuns athletics world again after Olympic heroics
Rohan Browning has shown the world his heroics at the Tokyo Olympics were no fluke.
The Aussie sprinter left fans in shock last year at the Tokyo Games when he beat Yohan Blake in his 100m heat and made the semi-finals of the star-studded event.
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On Sunday he returned for his first competitive run in three months and claimed third spot at the Golden Grand Prix meet - also in Tokyo.
Fully-fit again after missing last month's Australian titles due to a hamstring complaint, Browning clocked 10.23 seconds at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
Controversial American star Christian Coleman took the win in 10.09, while Jake Doran - who succeeded Browning as the Australian 100m champion last month - was sixth in the final in 10.32.
It was Browning's first meet in the Japanese capital since he went within a whisker of becoming just the second Australian to break the 10-second barrier when he clocked 10.01 at the Olympics.
In February he smashed Linford Christie’s 30-year meet record at the Adelaide Invitational to stamp his claim as Australia's next big thing.
Browning opened his domestic season by clocking 10.12 seconds in Adelaide, bettering Christie's meet record of 10.23s set way back in 1992.
Fans were in a frenzy over Browning's third-place finish on the global stage on Sunday.
3rd for @Rohan_Browning in his first hit out overseas this year! 👏👏👏 https://t.co/UE2Nilrxqb
— Estrella Sports Management (@Estrella_Sports) May 8, 2022
It was a solid day for the Aussies:
- Georgia Griffith won the women's 1500m (4:06.04)
- Jacinta Beecher continued her strong recent form to come 2nd in the women's 200m (23.24)
- Nick Hough (110m hurdles), Henry Frayne (long jump), Kelsey-Lee Barber (javelin) all came third.— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) May 8, 2022
But seriously when the margin of winning in this event is .1 sec aren’t they all pretty damn fast?!?!
— Bob Ruprecht (@RRRtlkn2u) May 8, 2022
Well done to the young Australian ; Rohan Browning and a great second.
— EDWARD GREENE (@EDWARDG80626932) May 8, 2022
Christian Coleman wins first 100m race since ban
Coleman, the reigning 100m world champion, made his comeback in January after an 18-month suspension for failing to adhere to whereabouts requirements, which kept him out of the Olympics.
The 26-year-old finally hit the track in Japan's National Stadium for his first 100m run this season - an experience that left him feeling "pretty good" overall.
"I feel excited to have opened up my season with a pretty decent time... it's definitely something I can continue to build off," Coleman said after the race.
"This is my first 100 in a few years. So I put a lot of expectations on myself, and so I feel like I give myself a B+ overall."
Japan's Yuki Koike took second place in 10.22.
The season-best 100m time was set by Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala on Saturday, who ran a 9.85 in Nairobi.
Spectators were barred from athletics events at the Olympics due to the pandemic, but on Sunday fans filled the stadium's lower stands, clapping enthusiastically for their favourites.
"To come here and compete in the Olympic Stadium is always exciting, and it's a blessing," said Coleman, who in March took silver in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships, losing out to his rival Lamont Marcell Jacobs.
The only Australian winner at the Golden Grand Prix meet on Sunday was Georgia Griffith, who took the women's 1500m event in 4:06.04, just ahead of American Eleanor Fulton (4:06.35).
Compatriots Jacinta Beecher, Nick Hough, Henry Frayne and Kelsey-Lee Barber also claimed podium finishes.
with agencies
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