Browning braced to blitz Sydney Track Classic

The blue riband event of athletics has long captivated sports fans and the Sydney Track Classic is set to uphold this tradition, with Australia’s fastest man Rohan Browning – a New South Wales Institiute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete – confirming his start as entries are released for the March 23 meet.

The star of Australian sprinting will burst out of the blocks for the 100m at E.S Marks Athletics Field this Saturday, with his eyes on the prize as he attempts to meet the 10.00 qualifying time for the Paris Olympic Games.

The 10.01-second man will go head-to-head with Japanese Olympic silver medallist and national record holder Ryota Yamagata in his clash down the straight, with the Australian aiming to notch up another win before the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships next month.

“A win will keep the momentum up for nationals, but I really want to show the home crowd something special. I’m always hunting fast times, so I might as well do it in Sydney,” Browning said.

Browning has clocked two 100m races this year, with his best time of 10.06 (+4.1) not quite fast enough to clinch the win at the Illawarra Track Challenge as fellow NSWIS athlete Joshua Azzopardi (pictured below) prevailed in the photo-finish.

The rivals will meet again on the start line, along with former Australian champion Jake Doran who gets his Australian summer underway. Stawell Gift winner Dhruv Rodrigues-Chico adds further credentials to the field, along with Jake Penny and Chris Ius in a race reminiscent of an Australian championship final.

World Championships representative Calab Law will lead the next generation of talent along with Lachlan Kennedy.

As an icon of Australian sprinting, Browning’s presence in the last leg of the Summer Series elevates the meet as spectators flock to see Olympic hopefuls on home soil for one of the last times ahead of Paris 2024.

“I cannot wait to compete at home in Sydney. It’ll be so great to see the athletics community out at E.S Marks,” Browning said.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve raced there, but it’s a special place – the closest track to the CBD, the best place for Sydney’s best track event.”

A stacked field will toe the line for the Women’s 100m, with Commonwealth relay bronze medallists Bree Masters, Naa Anang and Ella Connolly (NSWIS) battle it out for the last time before the Australian Athletics Championships, while World Championships representatives Kristie Edwards and Ebony Lane will stake their claims for victory as strong improvers in the season.

The sprinting action will roll on in the Para ranks led by World Para Athletics Championships medallist Mali Lovell (T36/NSWIS and pictured ) and Australian record holder Jaydon Page (T47), who headline the 100m Ambulant events and will be chasing Paralympic qualifiers before heading to the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships this May.

As a World Athletics Continental Tour meet, the Chemist Warehouse Sydney Track Classic provides athletes with another qualification opportunity for Paris 2024 and a way to earn crucial world ranking points which allow them to compete on the world stage.

Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Full entries and timetable can be found HERE.

Story courtesy of Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia