Australian sprinter Eddie Nketia has smashed the all-conditions 100m record for the second time, running a blistering 9.74 seconds at a college meet in the United States.
The 25-year-old sprinter, running for the University of Southern California (USC), won the 100m and 200m at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sunday.
But it was his 100m triumph that turned heads, with a 9.74 that was simply breathtaking.
It marked the second time in as many months that he had gone faster than Patrick Johnson’s longstanding Australian 100m record of 9.93, however, an illegal wind stopped it from being an official record.
On both occasions, the tailwind was above the legal mark of 2m per second, with Sunday’s wind registering at 5.6 metres per second.
It was also the second fastest all-conditions time in collegiate history and the equal seventh fastest all-conditions 100m time in history.
You can watch his blistering 100m run in the player above.
And while the Australian all-conditions 100m record is something Nketia is thrilled with, he is hoping it is a matter of time until he takes the Australian 100m record.
“It’s crazy man, to run 9.74 even with the wind. It shows It shows I’m getting better and can see the progress and the season isn’t over yet,” Nketia said after his race.
“I’m really hoping this season on the back of that to get a legal PB and show I can compete.
“The all-conditions record is nice, but I really want that actual record.
“I think the future is bright. When I get out of college I’m looking forward to competing everywhere, including hopefully Europe this year.”
Nketia backed up his 100m run with a 200m gold in 20.03, at which time the tailwind was a whopping 7.5m per second.
And the athletics world is standing up and taking notice of Nketia.
“Australian National Record is so close,” Dawn Sowell wrote, following his latest 100m effort.
“Eddie Nketia is a beast,” another said.
“Can’t wait to watch a Nketia-Gout race,” a third commented.
The former New Zealander, who switched allegiances to Australia late last year, has quickly made a name for himself and is expected to form part of a formidable relay team at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the Aussie squad featuring the likes of Gout Gout, Lachlan Kennedy and Rohan Browning.
