This time last year WA’s Leah O’Brien had a more than respectable 100m personal best of 11.76 seconds. Now, she’s the fastest ever Australian U18 athlete ever at 11.14 seconds following her victory in the Australian U18 title, eclipsing the record of the great Raelene Boyle.
Cover photo by Aussies in Action courtesy of Australian Athletics
The 17-year-old started strongly alongside Queensland’s Thewbelle Philp before gracefully extending away in the final half of the race with a supporting tailwind of 1.7 m/s. Philp clocked a new personal best of 11.35 seconds, as did bronze medallist Amaya Mearns (11.45 seconds).
Boyle’s record of 11.20 seconds had stood since the 1968 Olympic Games (click here for YouTube video), where as 17-year-old she set her lifetime best in finishing fourth in the rarefied air of Mexico City. The performance has rarely been challenged, with the closest run being a wind-assisted 11.18s on a wet and windy day in 2022 from now Australian open 100m record holder Torrie Lewis.
O’Brien moves to fourth on the Australian all-time list with her performance and also becomes the 9th fastest ever globally by an under 18 athlete. # Time Athlete Year 1 11.10 Torrie Lewis 2024 2 11.11 Melissa Breen 2014 3 11.12 Melinda Gainsford-Taylor 1994 =4 11.14 Sally Pearson 2007 =4 11.14 Leah O’Brien 2025 6 11.16 Hana Basic 2021 7 11.19 Kerry Johnson 1990 =8 11.20 Raelene Boyle 1968 =8 11.20 Naa Anang 2023 10 11.23 Bree Masters 2023 & 2025
“I honestly thought my race in the heats [11.46] was a really good time, I expected to maybe go 11.3 in the final but I’m so happy because I have been working really hard for that,” O’Brien said.
“It’s around the time that the Open girls run which is crazy to be running that still in high school.”
O’Brien will line up in the open 100m on Friday and now holds the fastest time coming into the meet, ahead of Bree Rizzo’s 11.23 seconds set in New Zealand in February.
“I’m going to come back and run the Opens. I really look up to the top girls in Australia like Torrie Lewis and Bree Masters. I’m always watching their Instagram reels and looking at their photos, it just looks so great and inspirational,” O’Brien said.
