Torrie Lewis smashes Australian 100m record to reach world championships semifinals

Torrie Lewis lowered the Australian women's 100 metres record and advanced to the semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, clocking 11.08 seconds into a 0.8 metres-per-second headwind on the opening day.

The 20-year-old ran from a stacked heat that included defending world champion Sha'Carri Richardson and two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson, finishing third behind Richardson (11.03) and Jackson (11.04). Lewis trimmed two-hundredths of a second off her own national record of 11.10, set in Canberra last year, and will contest the semifinals on Sunday.

Lewis said she had been nervous before the championships because training showed she could run fast, and she expressed confidence about improving in the next round. "I was super nervous before this competition because I knew in training that these are the times I can hit," she said. "Actually this is the slowest time in my mind that I had, so hopefully I can build on that." She added that racing against the world's best helped sharpen her performance. "It was like 'thanks guys for giving me the hardest one' ... I just wanted to run as fast as I could with them and see how I go."

Fellow Australians Bree Rizzo and Ella Connolly were eliminated in the opening round. The women's field saw St Lucia's Julien Alfred lead the qualifiers in 10.93. Reigning Olympic champion Julien Alfred’s time topped the heats as Lewis and others progressed.

On the men's side, Australian Rohan Browning missed a spot in the 100m semifinals by one-hundredth of a second. Browning finished fifth in his heat in 10.16, only to be edged out for the fourth automatic qualifying place by Dutch sprinter Elvis Afrifa, who ran 10.15. South Africa's Gift Leotlela emerged as a surprise fastest qualifier with 9.87, while marquee names including American Noah Lyles and Jamaican Kishane Thompson advanced comfortably.

Jessica Hull produced a controlled performance in the women's 1,500m, winning the first of three heats in 4:04.40. Hull stayed near the front throughout and covered late moves to take the victory, saying she trusted how her body felt after a difficult finish at the Diamond League final in Zurich. Australian Linden Hall joined her in the semifinals after finishing fourth in her heat.

World championships bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall secured a place in the men's pole vault final with a first-attempt clearance at 5.75 metres. In the women's 10,000m final, two-time Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya won in 30:37.61 after fending off a late charge from Nadia Battocletti, who set an Italian record of 30:38.23. Lauren Ryan was the leading Australian in that race, finishing ninth.

Competition continues across Tokyo's National Stadium with semifinal rounds and finals scheduled over the coming days as athletes seek medals and championship qualifying marks.