Leah O’Brien : Surpassing a national record long held by Raelene Boyle is no small accomplishment, so it’s understandable that 17-year-old Leah O’Brien is still processing her remarkable achievement earlier this week.
O’Brien blazed to victory in the U18 girls’ 100m final at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Perth, clocking an impressive 11.14 seconds.
Her performance broke Boyle’s long-standing U18 national record of 11.20 seconds, set during the 1968 Olympics.
Teen Sprinter Makes History at Australian Junior Athletics Championships
At just 17, Raelene Boyle finished fourth in the 100m and secured a silver medal in the 200m at the Mexico City Olympics.
She went on to claim two more silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the Munich Games four years later, with her chances at gold thwarted by East Germany’s state-run doping program.
For 57 years, her Australian U18 100m record remained untouched, eluding even some of the country’s top sprinters.
Renowned athletes like Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Sally Pearson, and Torrie Lewis all fell short of breaking it during their junior years.
What Leah O’Brien accomplished this week hasn’t gone unnoticed — especially not by the Perth high school student herself, who went into the race simply aiming to set a state record.
It honestly means so much because Raelene Boyle was such an incredible athlete,” O’Brien said during Thursday’s media call at the WA Athletics Stadium.
I’m sure so many people know her — that record was legendary.
A Legendary Record That Withstood Generations
Breaking a 57-year-old record is incredibly special to me, especially doing it on my home track here in Perth.
I’m still in shock — I truly didn’t expect to run that time.
Making the achievement even more remarkable, O’Brien now ranks ninth on the U18 world all-time list.
She also sits equal fourth on Australia’s all-time open rankings — tied with Sally Pearson — and is just 0.04 seconds behind Torrie Lewis’s national record.
O’Brien is set to line up alongside Torrie Lewis in the women’s 100m heats on Friday at the Australian Athletics Championships, also taking place in Perth.
While she admits to admiring the 20-year-old Lewis, O’Brien isn’t intimidated by the prospect of competing against senior athletes.
I’m pretty excited to gain more race experience,” said O’Brien, who trains under coach Briaden Clarke.
I’m not expecting too much from the open category — I’ve already had five races, so my body’s a bit more fatigued than some of the other girls, and I’m not feeling as fresh.
My goal is to hopefully make the final, but even if I just have a solid run in the semis, I’ll be happy. I really look up to all the older girls.
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