Rohan Browning on track for Aussie Olympic record after double in Melbourne

Australia's fastest man Rohan Browning is building up to hopefully breaking the sub 10-second mark at the Olympics having taken out the 100m and 200m titles in Melbourne. Browning was well ahead of the competition on Thursday having clocked 10.34 in the 100m sprint at the Lakeside Stadium.

However, the runner admitted he was a little off his best having been away from the field for some time in the build up to the Paris Olympics. Browning hadn't run since 13 January, which saw him record a 10.01 with strong wind assistance.

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And the 26-year-old admitted it felt like a 'pedestrian' performance, despite cruising to victory at a windy Lakeside Stadium. “I was just excited to be back racing, and trying to gap fields, that’s the main thing,” he said.

Browning finished the night winning the 200m race having held of 16-year-old sensation Gout Gout. And after his double, the Aussie admitted he was building-up his platform to have a crack at the 10-second mark at the Paris Olympics.

“I’ll run in Sydney next [on 23 March], then [April’s Olympic] trials in Adelaide, and that’s it for the Australian circuit,” he said. “It’s to be determined after that, hopefully the Oceania championships [in Fiji in June]."

Browning is looking to become just the second Australian to run the 100m in under 10 seconds after Patrick Johnson achieved the feat in 2003. He came close when he recorded 10.01 in the opening round of the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, before a 10.02 last year in Brisbane.

Rohan Browning in top shape before Paris Olympics

Speaking ahead of his race, Browning may be slightly under done with track events in 2024, but he feels like he is approaching the Olympics in top shape. "I'm definitely the strongest I've ever been - all my training data suggests I'm in the best shape I've ever been," Browning said having dropped a few kilograms in the off-season.

"The key thing is, can you do it when it counts, in competition? I've been trying to work on that mental side. Last year I was very technically oriented all the time. (But) you can't focus on those fine motor skills when you're trying to massively exert power in this really graceful way."

Browning normally heads over to Europe in their summer to compete in the track events, but the Aussie appears ready to stay at home and train ahead of the Olympics. "I've tried different strategies over the years," Browning said. "I've tried to compete myself into shape and I know that doesn't work for me. I need to get in a good training block . I don't need many competitions to perform well."

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