A promising new sprint talent has emerged from Australia, as Eddie Nketia clocked the fastest 100m time in the country’s history under all conditions. The 24-year-old achieved an impressive time of 9.84 seconds during a race in the United States on Sunday, aided by a tailwind of +2.8m/s, which is why it’s referenced as “all conditions”. While Nketia finished second in this race, his remarkable time is not yet official.
Following his accomplishment, Nketia expressed gratitude on social media, stating, “Thank you god. Job’s not done.” He represents the University of Southern California and adds to Australia’s emerging roster of sprinting talent, alongside athletes like Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy.
Nketia recently switched his athletic allegiance from New Zealand to Australia, having previously competed for the Kiwis at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Although born in New Zealand, Nketia was raised in Canberra, affording him the opportunity to compete for Australia after representing the ACT at various national junior championships.
His father, Gus, is also notable in the sprinting arena, having been a sprint star for New Zealand. Currently, Eddie Nketia’s time is not regarded as the official record for Australia, leaving the 100m Australian record still held by Patrick Johnson at 9.93 seconds. Lachlan Kennedy follows closely with a time of 9.96 seconds, while Gout has not yet achieved a legal time under the 10-second threshold, although he celebrated a 10.21-second victory in the under-20 final at the Australian junior championships in Brisbane.