Earning the title of the fastest Australian woman in history, sprint sensation Torrie Lewis has cemented herself as one to watch, with the 19-year-old named as the Emerging Athlete of the Month for January.
Launching her Olympic campaign with a blistering pace of 11.10 (+1.6) over 100m, Lewis’ stellar run at the ACT Open and Under 20 Championships saw her eclipse Melissa Breen’s 2014 Open record of 11.11 and Raelene Boyle’s Under 20 record of 11.20 from 1968.
Setting a new personal best of 11.21 (+0.4) in the heats, Lewis treated the crowd at the Australian Institute of Sport to slice of sporting history, stretching away from the field to claim the win and break the record in the process.
Unaware of her monumental feat until she crossed the line and ‘heard the crowd kind of gasp’, Lewis credited her frame of mind with helping her skim one hundredth of a second off the previous mark.
“It was one of the best races of my season; I was just so relaxed during that race… because it was just a start and I just wanted to see how I would go,” Lewis said.
“As I was running, I was just focusing on myself, and I didn’t even think that it would be a fast time until I crossed the line.”
A fast time is exactly what it was, with Lewis named as one of the headliners for the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne this Thursday night, racing in the 100m against a field that includes Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Bree Masters, Ella Connolly, and Mia Gross, as well as New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs.
“Running sub-11 seconds… that would be my next goal and I might get that this year, maybe next year.
My plan on Thursday is to stick as close to Zoe Hobbs as possible, and hopefully drag me to a fast time.”
Beyond the short-term goals looms the motivation of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Under 20 World Championships, with both competitions proving to be a ‘really big focus’ for Lewis.
As for the recognition of being named Emerging Athlete of the Month, Lewis thanked Commonwealth Games Australia, noting the what the award means to her.
“It’s such an honour that an organisation such as Commonwealth Games Australia recognises me and appreciates the work that we put in behind the scenes and the results that come out.
I’m really happy to be the Emerging Athlete of the Month.”
The Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne will take place at Lakeside Stadium on Thursday 15 February, and tickets can still be purchased here.
The meet will also be streamed live and free on Seven’s digital platform, 7plus.
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Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) has a focus on supporting emerging talent and a history that spans 90 years that includes some of sport’s greatest moments.
The Commonwealth Games serves as a platform for developing future stars of Australian sport and the Emerging Athlete of the Year is an award that is part of a refreshed Awards and Honours program developed by the CGA Heritage and Awards Committee.
The CGA Emerging Athlete of the Year Award celebrates the next generation of Australian sport stars and those that may make an impact for Australia at major sport events in the future.
Three finalists (selected by the Awards Sub-committee) from the monthly winners be invited to the Presidents Dinner and receive a $1000 CGA scholarship towards their sporting career.
The annual winner, selected by the Awards Sub Committee will receive a $5000 CGA scholarship toward their sporting career.
