Torrie Lewis Breaks Australian Women’s 100m Record in Sensational Fashion

Australia has a new national record holder in the women’s 100m dash after teenage sensation Torrie Lewis blazed down the track in Canberra on Saturday. In a remarkable performance at the ACT Championships, the 19-year-old clocked an astonishing time of 11.10 seconds (+1.6), breaking the Australian women’s record by 0.01 seconds.

Previously held by Melissa Breen, who set the mark at 11.11 seconds at the same Australian Institute of Sport track ten years ago, Lewis’s feat is nothing short of exceptional. Last year, she showcased her speed and talent by securing the 100m-200m double at the national championships in Brisbane and representing Australia at the world championships in Budapest.

Lewis, a young sprinter from Queensland, recorded a personal best of 11.23 seconds in Sydney last year. However, she surpassed that mark at the ACT championships with the aid of a legal tailwind of 1.6m per second. Additionally, she also surpassed Raelene Boyle’s Australian under-20 record of 11.20 seconds, a record that stood since 1968.

Surprisingly, Lewis approached the competition primarily targeting the 200m race, stating, ‘I came into this competition not even really focusing on the 100m, wanting to focus more on the 200m [on Sunday night].’ Nonetheless, her relaxed mindset paid off enormously.

Expressing her joy and sense of accomplishment, Lewis said, ‘That junior record, which I have been very close to, I’m glad to get under it finally. I want to get so far and I want to do the best I can.’

Meanwhile, Melissa Breen, the now-retired record holder, extended her congratulations to Lewis on the achievement, stating, ‘Records are made to be broken. It’s been an absolute honour and privilege to be the Australian record holder of the 100m for almost a decade.’

With her new Australian record, Lewis has firmly established herself as one of the country’s most promising young sprinters. Her goal is to compete in the Paris Olympics in August and the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, later in the same month.