Browning eases into 100m semis in Adelaide

Rohan Browning has cruised into the 100m semis at the Australian championships. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS)

Australian sprint star Rohan Browning made light of a minor knee ailment after booking his spot in the 100m semi-finals at the Australian athletics championships in Adelaide.

In cool conditions which were hardly conducive to fast sprinting, Browning won his heat in 10.43 seconds - the third-fastest time overall behind pacesetter Sebastian Sultana (10.38).

But the New South Welshman, who sits second on the Australian all-time list with a PB of 10.01 set at the Tokyo Olympics, still shapes as the man to beat in Saturday's final.

"I've just been carrying a little knee niggle," said Browning.

"I haven't been able to do any accelerations for the last three weeks and I'm just trying to build through the rounds.

"I think my top end (speed) is really good but I've got to be able to set the race up.

"I feel like I'm about a week away from being fully fit but the championships are this week so I had to turn up."

With 100m national record holder Torrie Lewis focusing solely on the 200m this weekend, Bree Masters (11.48), Ebony Lane (11.49) and national under-20 champ Alexsandra Stoilova (11.51) set the pace in the women's 100m heats.

Rising star Stoilova ran a wind-assisted 11.15 in the US last month.

Bendere Oboya (two minutes 03.05 seconds) led all of the big names into what will be a star-studded women's 800m final on Sunday.

Oboya - who has made a successful transition from the 400m to the two-lap race - won the quickest of the three heats on Friday afternoon.

National record holder Catriona Bisset, Commonwealth Games 1500m bronze medallist Abbey Caldwell and teen sensation Claudia Hollingsworth also booked their spots in the title race in what shapes as the best event of the national championships.

Tokyo Olympics finalist Peter Bol was completely untroubled in advancing the semis of the men's 800m.

Bol went to the front early in his heat and eased away to win in 1:51.03.

The semis are on Saturday.

Former US collegiate star Camryn Newton-Smith took a large step towards becoming Australia's first Olympic heptathlete in 16 years by winning the national title with a personal best total of 6180 points.

Newton-Smith - who spent five years at Arkansas State University -  had PBs in three of the seven events and moved up to fifth spot on the Australian all-time list.

Tori West was second with 6079 points, also a personal best.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store