Men's 100m Semi-finals 1,2 & 3|Simbine, OMANYALA | Commonwealth Games 2022 Athletics |3rd Aug 2022 |

Thanks Dave and Matt. So the introduction's about to begin for the first of three and Rowan Browning's in the first of the three semis. There's the lineup. The defending champion goes from lane four, Simbe and Conroy-Jones. One to watch, in fact they're all to watch. Nine different countries. There were 48 countries that started yesterday in the 10 heats. He's the youngest in the semifinals at 19, Ogunbrum of Nigeria. He was 10.36 in third place in EC. Bronze medal in the Nigerian championships. He is the Trinidad and Tobago champion. Harrison Jr. Used to represent USA but changed eligibility to Trinidad and Tobago in 2021. CJ Green who matched up with Rowan in that heat the other day. Here's the champion from the Gold Coast. He looks relaxed, doesn't he? He's confident. He says that if he doesn't speak to people before a race he starts to freak out. So he does look quite relaxed. Edoboron. He was DQ'd in the UK 100m final. He's a European junior champion five years ago. Feeding off that home crowd. Here's the 20 year old from Jamaica, Conroy-Jones. He won his heat. He looked good, didn't he? He did and here's the Australian. And that's what we want to see with Rowan. He's got that laser focus and he's got to get everything right. He's the national champion. He's a semi-finalist back at the Gold Coast. A breath weight to round them up from the British Virgin Isles. So Browning three from the left here. The top two will make the final in a couple of hours time and then there'll be a couple of little cues for those that are the next two fastest. Start. Important. Vital here. There's nothing quite like that feeling before a 100m race. You can sense with this crowd they really understand track and field. They know that this semi-final is loaded. It's a big occasion for Rowan. Subini four. Browning seven. Jones six. Green three. Others to watch. How quickly can he get out here? I feel like a nation does hold its breath in the early morning. There'll be a hush, a set and a go. Away. He got a good start. Browning's right up there. Zimbania a bit behind him. Rowan's going so well at halfway. It's a great chance. He's in. Buckle the seatbelt. The champion beat him but he beat the others clearly. Well that's what we wanted, wasn't it? That is exactly what we wanted from Rowan. He got every part of that race right. Well done Rowan. He's in the history books. He's made that final. The first Australian to make the men's final since 2010 and only the fourth in the last 30 years. Not easy to do. He looked super. Zimbini's the favourite. There's no question. He's run at 10.07. Browning 10.17. So they're not super quick are they? And then Edoboron at 10.30. Here's Browning three from left. The start was vital and he got it. He did. He reacted so well and you can see his head stayed low at his drive phase that him and his coach Andrew Murphy have been working on. He nailed it and he got up into his running. Zimbini is in a different class but Rowan was clearly the next best in that race and what I really liked was that after that race he didn't get overexcited about it. He knows that the job's not done and he's walked straight off the track. He is focused on that final already. So Emma and Shervo were off to a flyer. Oh boy oh boy. The next couple of hours are going to be tense and exciting. Oh this was exhilarating sitting next to a guy who ran in reasons. Well what about this? Rowan Browning's already through to the men's 100 metre final. Now we've got another Aussie in Jake Doran. Let's get back to the track now with Bruce and Tamsin. Thanks Shervo. So goes from lane three. He's had a terrific domestic season Jake and this is an achievement to get here. Can he make it through to the final? He's an outsider here. He's Buntine of St Kitts and Nevis here and he sees it all best in the heat of 10.37 just outside his personal best. Sappho Antwi goes from Ghana here. His personal best is eight years ago. And he trains here in Great Britain so he's used to Birmingham. Here's Jake, 22 years of age, national champion. And he is the fastest Australian junior and it's just been tough trying to make that transition to seniors. He's had so many injuries including broken feet, hammy injuries, spinal stress fractures but he's back. Ilcott, personal best was in the national championships for Trinidad this year. He's the favourite in this semi. Ominyala, he's the African record holder from Nairobi last year. And with the visa issue in the world championships we didn't see the best of him but he looked really good and ready to go in that heat yesterday. Esme here of Cameroon. He was very quick. He was the third fastest in the heats of 10.08. Ash I thought was outstanding the 20-year-old. Yeah now he's a big danger because he's broken 10 seconds for the first time this year and he'd be definitely wanting to make that final. There'll be a roar here. Indoor 60 meters. Look for him to get a really good start. And here's the champion from eight years ago. The tall figure of Kamar Bailey Cole. Part of that Jamaican wave that we've had for a decade plus. He used to train with Usain Bolt so he knows what it's like to run against the fast guys. So young Jake, lane three. That's Ferdinand Ominyala. He's a beast isn't he? Look at him. A powerhouse. Came into the sport late from rugby. So what can Jake do here? He would have seen Rowan. He knows that we've got one Aussie through. He's a good start and then run his own race. So they're in that position just before the set. Got out pretty well. Doran Ominyala got away pretty well. Ash out wide. Three from the left. Now Ominyala picks up. Doran's having a decent run. Ominyala queerly and goes quickly at 10.01. Getting through Esme as well I reckon. And Jake Doran was in the mix at halfway. Big occasion for Jake. That field was a really strong field and the thing that I really liked about Jake was that he did stay relaxed even though the athletes were starting to come through him and he managed to lift and finish with a good run. And they're running into a reasonable head wind there at 1.2. So that's why some of these times are not super quick. He was impressive. So Esme did get through. So it's Kenya and Nigeria. Well he's going to be a contender for sure. Does get the better of Simbini in the final and Brownie etc. He's in the mixes in either Kenyan. Well it's all about that turnaround. That quick turnaround. What they can do. But look at Esme who's next to Ominyala. The Kenyan. He was so far back. The Cameroon athlete in the dark green. He had to work so hard through the middle phases to get back. And the danger is that if he gets his start his back end was so good. But Ominyala just looks so relaxed doesn't he. Yeah I said Nigeria of course Cameroon there. So he was the big finisher. So Matt and Hema we've got two distinctive favorites coming out of it and an Australian in the mix after two semifinals. Super exciting isn't it Bruce to have a Aussie in the final of the 100 meters. Let's take it. Bruce Tamsin who would have thought if Jamaica can have a bobsled team Sri Lanka can have a sprinter. Absolutely and he was the fastest wasn't he Sherbo through the heats today and he's one of four men here that have run under 10 seconds. 10.40 by the way for Jake Dorn. Into a headwind. So that was a great run by Ominyala to run close to the 10 second mark. So this is the third of the semifinals. He just got up. Slept in a bit. Rowan Browning was quite sensational and running second in the opening. Semi behind the defending champion Akane Simbini of South Africa. Here's the lineup. Africa to the fore again. Mitchell Blake goes for England as Amati of Ghana and Abagun of Sri Lanka. Two of the favorites. And Rowan Browning mentioned that the Commonwealth now is about there's so many different countries being represented in this 100 meters at that top end and you just got to look at all the countries on this start line here. So it's Wales won the UK 100 meter championship. Hanukkah, Namibia. I had the African final was actually disqualified for a full start there so he'll be a little toey early. Charles of St Lucia was at the gold coast but he didn't get out of the heats so this has been a progression for him. Amita ran a personal best in the heats. He's the next one we see from Kenya so he got it down to 10.12. He was second behind Rowan. Huge improver this year. The Kenyans are going great but they won that 4x100 at the African champs and beat South Africa. They've really improved their sprinting stocks. We know the Nigerians are powerful teams and don't we. Kev Woe, one of those here. Look at those personal best times here. They're all sub 10 in this little quartet. Here's Azamati, the national record holder for Ghana at 9.90. And he's been consistently under 10 seconds early in the season but he's had a really long season. And here is the Sri Lankan. Look he's just flying at the moment and he's been based in Italy where he went on a scholarship in 2015. He has a really high set position and finishes like a steam train. So he won the golden spike meeting this year in Ostrava. Mitchell Clay, second behind Ash in the heats. Spent a lot of his teenage years in Jamaica but he's back in the UK. And Keon Benjamin, Trinidad and Tobago, who was second behind Abicorn in the heat. His personal best came in the semi-finals of his national championship. So five, six, seven, maybe four, look to be the ones. 10.24, the fastest of those that aren't automatically through at the moment. So the fluky wins are important here aren't they for those third and fourth place getters. They sure are but isn't it nice that we don't have to worry about that with Rowan. So Omenala and Simbini the two winners so far. Browning so impressive and so was the man from Cameroon. SMA coming through for second place. So they're the four that are through. Cameroon, South Africa, Kenya, Australia. They're the finalists in the bank. Almost set. Away Abicorn just behind Azamati early and now he picks up. Benjamin out in lane nine going well right up there. Gee this is close. Look at Azu. Look at Azu from Wales. Oh what an upset. Mitchell, Blake and Azu have got through. They've turned them over. Lanes one and eight I reckon. Well the Welshman with the nickname Azum has got the job done. And Mitchell, Blake flying late. So all those guys in the middle, Azamati, Abicorn, Akifo and Amita that they were in a line of 50 meters. It was hard to know where to look. You had to look inside and out at the end. Well there's going to be some disappointment from some of these athletes who were thinking that they were going to go straight through. That was a fantastic race by Azu and Mitchell, Blake. The crowd support is really helping. I'm going to say something silly. That doesn't hurt Rowan's chances. That does not hurt Rowan's chances. If Abicorn had come out and run 9.95 there or Azamati you'd be thinking oh boy, oh boy. But I'm still thinking oh boy, oh boy. But I'm thinking in a different way. They were good. They were good late. But they haven't blown the clock away have they at 10.13 and 10.15. Look at this. So Azu on the right. Mitchell, Blake two from the left. And look at the line at 50 meters. He just didn't know who was going to win it at this point. But you can see with Azu on the inside line. I think it helped him that he was there and he was away from the athletes on the outside because he just focused on his own race. So we'll get those fastest non-automatic shortly. Great finish. It was a breath in it. And Abicorn's going to be a little bit upset with the way that he's run this. He hasn't actually used his strength at the back where he relaxes and comes through usually. I think Azamati and Abicorn have got through Sheva. I reckon Azamati and Abicorn have got through. So we have got a loaded final coming up. Yeah it is a brilliant position for Rowan Browning to be in. He's in the final and it is very