Hale & Browning ready for 100m showdown

The Men’s 100m event at the ACT State Championships is shaping up as one of the hottest domestic fields assembled in recent history, with Australia’s premier sprinting stocks set to battle down the home straight. 

Jack Hale (Adam Larcom) and Rohan Browning (Andrew Murphy) firm as the leading contenders to take out the title, with the pair set to add another chapter to their lengthy rivalry. 

It’s a rivalry that hatched in 2014 as 16-year-olds, with Hale breaking the Australian junior record and Browning having a breakout season of his own lighting the spark to what is now a blaze - with their rivalry serving as the benchmark for Australian sprinting. 

Fast forward to 2021 and Hale is still known as Australia’s fastest sprinter, having recently broke the Australian 100 yard record, while Browning’s form is no secret after the 23-year-old shattered the 10-second-barrier when running 9.96 (+3.3) in January - a performance that confirms the young talent is flying. 

Hale concedes that whilst good friends with Browning - on the track it’s strictly business. 

“Rohan and I are mates but it’s a good competitive rivalry we’ve got going on, and it’s definitely a rivalry when it comes to a professional sense,” he said. 

“It always brings energy to the race, and it’s always good to come up against each other, particularly after we’ve trained together in our relay camp.” 

Browning’s view on the arm-wrestle is much the same. 

“I think like any good sports rivalry, it brings the best out of me.” 

The two won’t have it all their own way though, with Hale well aware of the depth of talent that lies within the field. 

“The best thing about the ACT State Championships is that it’s basically like a Nationals final in February. Everyone is going to be there and it’s going to be a massive, good quality race. You’re going to have to run a 10.3, or 10.4 just to get to that final,” he said. 

Likely prospects to make the final include Jake Doran (Paul di Bella) and Chrisopher Ius (Andrew Murphy) who both sit pretty in the seeding times with 10.24, along with Michael Romanin, Matthew Rizzo (Ryan Hoffman) and Jake Penny. 

Fresh off his new record, Hale has his eyes fixed on not only the win but so too that elusive Tokyo qualifier of 10.05. 

“I’m feeling amazing at the moment and really gearing up for the race. It’s not just my first bigger race of the year, but it’s one that I’m really going to push for that qualifier of 10.05,” he said. 

“I’m feeling confident and a PB is on the cards, but the stars have all got to align to get those good conditions.” 

For Browning, the depth of the field is reflective of the Australian sprinting culture that has been bolstered in recent years, leaving him optimistic for the men’s 4x100m relay team going forward. 

“I just think that the relay team now is probably better than it's ever been,” he said. 

“We're in the enviable position now that we haven't been in before - where there's a number of guys who could fill the spots in the relay. No position is safe and that's the attitude that we've been trying to build,” he said. 

The heats for the Men’s 100m at the ACT State Championships begin on Saturday the 13th of February at 12:00pm. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 11/2/2021