Seventeen-year-old Leah O’Brien has etched her name in Australian athletics history by breaking the national under-18 100m record, previously held by sprinting icon Raelene Boyle for an astonishing 57 years.
At the Australian Junior Athletics Championships, O’Brien clocked an impressive 11.14 seconds (+1.7 wind resistance) in the girls’ final, surpassing Boyle’s long-standing record of 11.20 set during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
The Perth native achieved this monumental feat in front of a supportive crowd at the WA Athletics Stadium in Floreat, surrounded by friends, family, and hometown fans. Immediately after her race, she was enveloped in a warm embrace by fellow West Australian Jessica Hanney, who finished just off the podium, as celebrations erupted among the competitors.
“I honestly thought my race in the heats [11.46] was a really good time; I expected to maybe go 11.3 in the final, but I’m so happy because I have been working really hard for that,” O’Brien reflected. “It’s around the time that the Open girls run, which is crazy to be running that still in high school.”
O’Brien’s remarkable time not only outshines her peers but also ties with Olympic hurdles gold medallist Sally Pearson’s personal best in the 100m, ranking her as the fourth-fastest Australian woman in history. On a global scale, her 11.14 seconds places her as the ninth-fastest under-18 runner in the world, signaling a bright future for this rising star in athletics.
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