Eddie Nketia ripped through the 100m in 9.74 seconds at a college meet in the United States, then backed it up by winning the 200m in 20.03 at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Nebraska. The 25-year-old Kiwi-turned-Australian sprinter was too quick for the clock again, but the 100m time will not count for record purposes because the tailwind was far above the legal limit.
It was the second time in as many months that Nketia had gone faster than Patrick Johnson's long-standing Australian 100m record of 9.93, only for the result to be ruled wind-assisted. Both of those runs came with a tailwind stronger than 2m per second, the mark allowed for record ratification.
Nketia sounded as if he knew he had just done something rare, even if the record books will not reflect it. “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,” he said. He added that he is hoping to use the run as a springboard to a legal personal best and to prove he can compete at the top level. “The all-conditions record is nice, but I really want that actual record,” he said.
The 200m final told its own story. Nketia crossed in 20.03 with a 7.5m per second tailwind, another mark that makes for eye-catching reading but no official comparison. Even so, the double underlined why his recent form has attracted attention at the University of Southern California, where he has been sharpening his sprinting while still in college.
Brenton Emanuel, USC's assistant coach, said the staff has been watching Nketia's progress closely. “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, while adding that Usain Bolt remains an outlier. He also said changes to Nketia's diet and physique appear to be paying off.
Nketia, who recently swapped allegiance to Australia, said he sees bigger races ahead once his college days are over. “I think the future is bright. When I get out of college I'm looking forward to competing everywhere, including hopefully Europe this year,” he said.
For Australian track and field, the next question is less about whether Nketia can run fast and more about when he can do it with the wind on his side. His recent performances have revived talk that he could one day be part of a 4x100m relay pool alongside Gout Gout, Lachlan Kennedy and Rohan Browning, with next year's world championships in Beijing and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics already in view.
For now, the headline number is 9.74, even if it will not stand in the record books. What matters is that Nketia is running faster, and the gap between what he has shown in perfect conditions and what he can still do legally is the part that could reshape Australia's sprint future.
