Australian sprinter Torrie Lewis has broken her own national 100-metre record, clocking 11.04 seconds at a meet in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia — a result made all the more remarkable given that just weeks earlier she was sitting on the track in tears, unable to complete a warm-up due to Achilles pain.
The Queensland athlete, who was close to writing off her entire season, will now head to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with renewed confidence and a fresh national record to her name — and with the athletics program beginning next Monday, her timing could not have been better.
From the brink of quitting to breaking a national record
Lewis has been battling a troublesome Achilles — the same one she tore last year, which wiped out much of her 2024 campaign. The injury flared again on her return to competition, forcing her to withdraw from what would have been her final race before the Commonwealth Games. The pain had become so debilitating that at one point she could not even get through a training warm-up without breaking down.
"A couple of weeks ago it was so bad I was crying just warming up," Lewis said. "If I was not so determined to run at the Comm Games I would have pulled the plug on the season and started again for sure."
Scans and advice from physiotherapists in both Australia and the Netherlands gave her enough reassurance to press on. Specialists told her that while running on the Achilles would be painful, it was not at risk of tearing again and did not require surgery. That clearance, combined with her fierce determination to compete in Glasgow, kept her season alive.
Slovakia the turning point for Torrie Lewis
Lewis travelled to the PTS meet in Slovakia primarily for clarity — she described the competition as the decider for her schedule at the Commonwealth Games. She arrived not knowing whether she could manage the sprint double, let alone the relay as well.
What unfolded exceeded all expectations. She won the 100m in 11.04 seconds, breaking her own Australian record and coming tantalisingly close to becoming the first Australian woman to crack the 11-second barrier. She also won the 200m in 22.66 seconds.
Among those she defeated was Elaine Thompson-Herah, the Jamaican sprinting legend and five-time Olympic champion. Lewis was candid about the thrill of that moment.
"I just saw it was a strong field with Elaine Thompson and just wanted to try and win it. I wasn't thinking of a record at all but am thrilled that I ran well and broke it," she said. "I've been watching her for so many years winning at the Olympics and of course I know she is not in her peak shape, but it's pretty cool to beat someone of that calibre. And I was very happy to have a hug with her at the end."
Crucially, Lewis was pain-free during the race and woke the following morning with her Achilles feeling good — a significant development heading into one of the busiest schedules of her career.
Record-breaking history and what comes next in Glasgow
Lewis first broke the Australian 100m record as a 19-year-old in Canberra in 2024, running 11.10 seconds to surpass Melissa Breen's decade-old mark of 11.11 seconds. She has since continued to chip away at her own benchmark, lowering it again during heats at last year's world championships before this latest effort in Slovakia.
With the national record now standing at 11.04 seconds and her Achilles holding up, Lewis confirmed she will contest the sprint double at the Commonwealth Games. She was measured about expectations heading to Glasgow, noting that results are unlikely to change dramatically in a short window — but acknowledged that major championships have a way of lifting performances.
"I feel like I could run again today," she said. "So that does help my confidence going into Glasgow, knowing how busy the schedule is."
