The 2025 Australian Athletics Championships in Perth delivered thrilling, razor-thin finishes and rising stars, with both the men’s and women’s 100m finals decided by thousandths of a second.
In the women’s 100m, national record holder Torrie Lewis defended her title in a dramatic finish, edging out 17-year-old Leah O’Brien by just 0.004 seconds — both clocked at 11.24. Bree Rizzo, who stumbled over the line in a desperate dip, took third in 11.25. Lewis admitted she thought Rizzo had won, while O’Brien was simply grateful to reach the final after a breakout week that included U18 titles in both the 100m and 200m and breaking Raelene Boyle’s 57-year-old national U18 100m record with a time of 11.14. That mark places her equal fourth on Australia’s all-time list, alongside Sally Pearson.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Emelia Reed stunned the field in the U20 200m final, winning in a personal best 23.29s — just days after claiming the U16 sprint double and breaking her own U16 national 100m record. Born in Ukraine, Reed moved to Australia at age three and continues to shatter age-based expectations.
In the men’s 100m, Rohan Browning proved he’s still the king of Australian sprinting — for now. He beat Lachlan Kennedy by just 0.005 seconds, with both athletes running 10.01s in a photo finish. Browning, often written off due to injuries and a rising generation of stars, declared his comeback with confidence: “I wanted to remind these guys who their dad is.”
Kennedy, who had run a flat 10.00 in the heats, was disappointed but gracious: “You’ve gotta win the race — Rohan did that.”
Both finals were wind-legal and showcased the renaissance in Australian sprinting, with multiple runners flirting with sub-10 territory.
Elsewhere, Jess Hull dominated the women’s 1500m after a slow, tactical start, kicking hard with 450m to go to claim the title. Cam Myers, still just 18, delivered redemption in the men’s 1500m after missing Olympic qualification last year, sealing his spot for the World Championships in Japan with a commanding win.
The championships highlighted a changing of the guard in Australian athletics — but not without a fight from the veterans.
