Rohan Browning

BIOGRAPHY

Over the last few years, and since becoming a senior athlete, Rohan Browning has been making steady progress, and that development hit new levels during his 2021 domestic season where he clocked a sub-10 100m, a wind assisted 9.96 and in March nailed the Olympic standard with 10.05 – the fastest time by an Australian on home soil. It also confirmed his selection for the Olympics Games, becoming the first Aussie male to qualify for 17 years.

In Tokyo, running from lane one in his heat, he shocked, winning the race and defeating former world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica. Another goal has been sub-10 and he carved another 0.04 seconds from his PB to record 10.01. In the semi-final he finished a close fifth in 10.09 seconds.  

In 2022 he suffered a hamstring injury during summer, then had illness in Europe, but hit form clocking 10.08 in his last race on July 3, before he headed to America for the World Championships. In Eugene Rohan ran 10.22 for 5th place in his heat. Two weeks later Rohan progressed to the 100m final at his second Commonwealth Games placing sixth in the final. He was our first finalists since the 2010 Games. Rohan anchored the 4x100m relay and while receiving the baton from third leg runner Jack Hale, Rohan, tripped and fell.

He started his 2023 campaign with five domestic meets, capped off by winning his second national title in a dazzling time of 10.02. It was: 

- 0.01 seconds outside PB

- Fastest time by an Aussie in Australia

- Fastest time in Australia for 23 years

- Fifth fastest 100m ever run in Australia.

- Only faster times in Australia: Maurice Greene & Ato Boldon (2000 OG), Frank Fredericks (1999), Maurice Greene (1998)

In June he placed sixth in the Diamond League in Florence. After 16 races in 2023, in August he was named in Australia’s team for the Budapest World Championships – his ninth National team. At his fourth world championships in Budapest, he was excellent running 10.11 in the heat and semi-final. He placed a competitive 4th in his semi-final. 

+ + + + +

Rohan’s start in sport came through soccer, before switching to rugby and athletics at the age of 13. Born on 31 December, he was a late developer compared to his rivals. “As everyone grew up I found it more difficult to compete physically.” He played local rugby and did one year of Little Athletics. He started training for athletics after moving to Trinity Grammar School where he met his current coach and Olympian Andrew Murphy.

He then developed quickly, running 10.47 for the 100m and a wind assisted 10.18, before he was 17. In the early years there was a rivalry with Tasmania’s Jack Hale, then at the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials Trae Williams would be the benchmark, but at the Games, Browning would be the best of the Aussies, missing the final by one place by an agonising one thousandth of a second. After the Games, due to an Achilles injury, he didn’t put on spikes for nine months.

In 2019 he smashed his 100m best running 10.08, equal third fastest Australian ever. Selected for the 2019 World Championships, our first representative in the event for 12 years, but he was disappointed being run out in the heats. It was a wakeup call and one thing he and coach Murph strived for was consistency in performances, not just a one-off result.

In early 2021 he became just the second Aussie under 10.00 seconds, running a wind assisted 9.96 in Wollongong. In early March he ran a 100 yards Australian best clocking 9.41 seconds. Awaiting the ideal conditions, warm temperature, and a legal tailwind, at the Queensland Track Classic in late March, he clocked a PB 10.05, nailing the Olympic standard and stamping his ticket to Tokyo, where he became the first Aussie in 17 years to compete in the men’s 100m. 

In Tokyo, hopes were high Browning could, at least, make the semi-final. But running from lane one in his heat, he shocked, winning the race and defeating former world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica. Another goal has been sub-10 and he carved another 0.04 seconds from his PB to record 10.01. 

The next day he lined up in the semi-final and was now no longer going under the radar. Rohan reacted well to the gun but didn't drive as well in the first 15 metres as he did in the heat. He was a stride back in the biggest race of his life. The 23-year-old showed maturity to relax and in full stride pulled back ground on the leaders but he ran out of track and finished a close fifth in 10.09 seconds.  

"I'm very disappointed. I definitely had a better run in me than that, but I gave the field to much of a gap on me and you can't do that in Olympic Games," he said. 

"This is championship racing. Sometimes you nail it and sometimes you don't. This is a sport where the smallest of margins really matter. I just had to be better on the day." 

"I'd like to think I belong here. This sport is about consistency, not one-off major times and not being there. I've been very consistent at 10.0 and that's where you need to be to run sub-10. I'm obviously just not quite there yet, but hopefully not too far off." 

In 2022 he suffered a hamstring injury during summer, then had illness in Europe, but hit form clocking 10.08 in his last race on July 3, before he headed to America for the World Championships. 

After illness in the leadup to the 2022 World Championships, Rohan ran 10.22 for 5th place in his heat. Two weeks later Rohan progressed to the 100m final at his second Commonwealth Games placing sixth in the final. He was our first finalists since the 2010 Games. Rohan anchored the 4x100m relay and while receiving the baton from third leg runner Jack Hale, Rohan, tripped and fell.

Most influential person in your career: coach Andrew Murphy…Sporting ambition: He does not want to just qualify to run for Australia but “perform well there and do something that you can be proud of and will make the country proud.” He also wants to become the first Australian athlete in 65 years to make the Olympic 100m final, he would be only the third to achieve this. He also wants to break 10 seconds…Advice to your younger self? Be more patient.

@ November 2023 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au

World Athletics Profile https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/rohan-browning-14575440