Australian sprinter Eddie Nketia has clocked a staggering 100m time of 9.74 seconds at a college meet in the US, but the mark will not count for record purposes due to an illegal tailwind. The University of Southern California athlete achieved the time at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Nebraska on Sunday, with the wind reading +5.6m/s, well above the legal limit of 2m/s.
Nketia, who recently switched his allegiance from New Zealand to Australia, also won the 200m in 20.03 seconds, where the tailwind was an even more extreme 7.5m/s. This is the second time in two months that he has run faster than Patrick Johnson's Australian 100m record of 9.93s, but both occasions have been wind-assisted.
Nketia's Reaction
Despite the wind, Nketia was encouraged by his performance. "It's crazy man, to run 9.74 even with the wind," he said. "It shows I'm getting better and can see the progress and the season isn't over yet." He added, "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."
Future Prospects
The 25-year-old sprinter believes his future is bright. "When I get out of college I'm looking forward to competing everywhere, including hopefully Europe this year," he said. Nketia could form part of a formidable Australian 4x100m relay team at next year's world championships in Beijing and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, alongside talents like Gout Gout, Lachlan Kennedy, and Rohan Browning.
His American coach, Brenton Emanuel, has high expectations. "We've talked about this within our staff ... Eddie could be one of the best who've ever done it as a whole," Emanuel said. "I can't say he'll be the best in the world because obviously Usain Bolt was an anomaly, but I definitely think Eddie has a long career in track and field. We've made some changes to his diet and his physique and stuff like that, and I think it's paying off."
