Torrie Lewis breaks national record, beats five-time Olympic champ

Australian sprint sensation Torrie Lewis has delivered a statement performance on the eve of the Commonwealth Games, breaking her own national 100m record and beating five-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah in Slovakia on Tuesday. The 21-year-old clocked 11.04 seconds at the PTS meet in Banska Bystrica, edging out the Jamaican legend and Austria's Christania Williams, who both finished in 11.06 seconds.

Record-breaking performance in Slovakia

Lewis's time of 11.04 seconds shaved four-hundredths off her previous national best of 11.08 seconds, set during the heats of last year's world athletics championships. It also marks a significant milestone in her rapid rise, as she becomes the first Australian woman to run under 11.05 seconds. The victory over Thompson-Herah, a five-time Olympic champion and one of the greatest sprinters in history, underscores Lewis's growing pedigree on the international stage.

The Queenslander also won the 200m later in the evening, crossing the line in 22.66 seconds to cap a dominant night in Slovakia. The results come just weeks before the athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which begins on Monday.

From Canberra to the world stage

Lewis first broke the Australian 100m record in 2024 as a 19-year-old in Canberra, running 11.10 seconds to surpass Melissa Breen's 11.11-second mark from 2014. She lowered it again at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September, where she clocked 11.08 seconds in the heats. However, she narrowly missed a historic appearance in the 100m final after running 11.14 seconds in the semi-finals.

Her latest record comes months after she was retrospectively awarded the gold medal in the 200m at the 2024 under-20 world championships, following a doping disqualification of the original winner, Adaejah Hodge of the Virgin Islands. Hodge received a reduced ban and has been named to compete in Glasgow, setting up a rematch with Lewis in both the 100m and 200m.

Commonwealth Games in sight

Lewis has been selected for the 55-member Australian team for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where she is scheduled to compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. She will be joined by fellow sprint talents Lachlan Kennedy and Eddie Nketia. Athletics Australia chief executive Simon Hollingsworth described the team as a mix of proven champions and emerging junior talent, expressing optimism about continuing the nation's strong history in the Games.

The Commonwealth Games represent a crucial stepping stone for Lewis as she builds towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The 10-day event will test her against a strong field, including Hodge, who is entered in both sprint events. However, Lewis's recent form suggests she is peaking at the right time.

Building towards Los Angeles 2028

While Lewis's focus is on Glasgow, the long-term trajectory points towards the 2028 Olympics. The Australian sprint program is experiencing a resurgence, with young stars like Lewis, Kennedy and Nketia emerging. However, the team will be without teenage prodigy Gout Gout, who suffered a serious hamstring injury in training and is expected to be sidelined until next year. Gout had planned to compete at the world under-20 championships but was forced to withdraw.

Lewis's victory over Thompson-Herah, even if the Jamaican is past her peak, signals that Australian women's sprinting is on the rise. With the Commonwealth Games providing invaluable experience, Lewis is positioning herself as a legitimate contender on the global stage, and her record-breaking run in Slovakia will only add to her confidence as she chases gold in Glasgow.