Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Four-time Australian 100m champion Rohan Browning has announced his shock retirement just weeks after taking gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Known as the “Flying Mullet”, Browning became a household name during the Tokyo Olympics when he won his heat in a time of 10.01s – the fastest ever by an Australian at the Games.
He most recently anchored the men’s 4x100m relay team in Glasgow, bringing home the gold.
“I really wanted to go out on a high note and after winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the relay, it was only going to go downhill from there,” Browning told Australian Athletics on Wednesday.
“The athlete in me still thinks that I could get back, run personal bests and compete at the highest level, but no athlete is ever going to be truly satisfied.
“The thing that I’m actually proudest of is that I made every team from my debut in 2017 to my retirement in 2026,” he said.
At just 28, Browning retires as the fourth fastest Australian man in history.
Browning said his heat win in Tokyo was the “moment that changed my life”.
“It gave me a really healthy dose of self-belief because it had been a quiet period for Australian men’s sprinting,” he said.
“There weren’t many role models on the scene and I feel like I had to forge that path myself.”
Often pitted against rival sprinter Lachlan Kennedy, Browning said “stress and pressure have always brought out the best in me”.
He said his Australian title win over Kennedy in 2025 was a career highlight.
“People had written me off and said that I was over the hill. I didn’t think that I was and to prove it in that moment was really special,” he said.
“I’ve spent so many years dedicated to this one challenge, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” Browning said.
“But I’ve reached a place where I’m ready for the next challenge and I’m excited by the prospect of doing new things.”
Australian Athletics chief executive Simon Hollingsworth on Wednesday paid tribute to Browning, calling him a “fantastic athlete and ambassador for our sport”.
“His 2021 Tokyo performance inspired Australians and the generation of sprinters who followed,” Hollingsworth said.
“To go out with a superb relay run for gold in Glasgow is a fitting finale and we wish Rohan the very best in the next phase of his life, which is sure to be successful.”
