Nketia races into Australia's sprinting spotlight

MELBOURNE — From dreams of rugby glory for New Zealand to a Hail Mary shot at the NFL, sprinter Eddie Nketia is now on track to win medals for Australia and take a share of the limelight trained on teen talent Gout Gout.

Nketia clocked Australia's fastest 100m in 9.84 seconds at a US college meet last month, albeit with a tailwind that ruled it out of the record books.

Australians latching onto the enormous potential of 18-year-old Gout and 22-year-old Lachlan Kennedy may now have another star in the sprinting firmament.

For 24-year-old Nketia, who runs for University of Southern California (USC), the buzz back in Australia since his 9.84 at the Mt SAC Relays has been almost as overwhelming as the run itself.

"Honestly, it was genuinely a surprise, because I never expected I could run 9.84 in my life," he told reporters in a video interview from his California base.

"And it's like, 'look at where we're at now'. My name is everywhere back in Australia. And it's a lot to take in. It's insane."

Prior to his run, Nketia had been virtually unknown in Australia, despite the nation's rekindled interest in athletics thanks to the performances of Gout.

Auckland-born Nketia only switched allegiance from New Zealand in December after a mandatory stand-down period from major global events.

He spent much of his childhood in Canberra, but returned to New Zealand to finish high school.

His Ghanaian father, Gus Nketia, was also a sprinter and held New Zealand's fastest 100m (10.11) for 28 years until the younger Nketia eclipsed it with a 10.08 at the 2022 world championships — with the help of his father's coaching, of course.

It was a poignant moment hailed by New Zealand media, but Nketia's relationship with the nation's athletics federation was already strained.

New Zealand has strict criteria for Olympic selection, only picking athletes with a demonstrated ability to finish in the top 16 of their events.

In the weaker Commonwealth Games field, only potential top-six finishers are considered.

That policy has rankled more than a few Kiwi athletes over the years, and Nketia publicly criticized Olympic selectors after missing out on Tokyo 2020.

After also missing the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Nketia's mind was made up.

"Circumstances just kept ruining my chances of becoming a better athlete," he said.

Turning his back on his birth nation was a tough decision for Nketia, who remains proud of his Kiwi heritage and was a promising junior rugby player with a dream of playing for the All Blacks.

He ditched the track altogether to join the University of Hawaii's American football program, saying he needed a fresh start.

"It wasn't essentially that I was tired of track. I was just tired of missing tournaments," he said.

At 1.90 meters and about 97 kilograms, the powerfully built Nketia played as a wide receiver before returning to the track with USC.

His USC coach Brenton Emanuel calls him "Incredible Hulk" — gentle off the track, but a beast on it. He believes Nketia could ultimately be ranked among the greats of sprinting.

"He puts his superpower on and he just goes," he told reporters, sitting next to Nketia in the video call.

Nketia wants championship medals and has circled this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, which run from July 23 to Aug 2, on his calendar.

First, though, he wants to smash the 100m 10-second barrier legally during the NCAA season.

Only two Australians, Patrick Johnson (9.93) and Kennedy (9.96), have broken it, while Gout's PB is 10 seconds flat.

Gout is skipping Glasgow, but Nketia envisages a showdown in Australia next year against the teenager and Kennedy.

The prospect of the trio combining on relay squads also has Nketia excited, saying they could make Australia a sprinting power to rival the United States and Jamaica.

"When it comes to world championships next year ... and Olympic Games as well, it's like we're going to go all the way, do what we can to get as many podiums as possible," he said.