Torrie Lewis was the face of Australian athletics before Gout. But she can’t imagine how he feels

19 hours ago 2

Twelve months ago, you would have walked into a pharmacy and there she was. Long, curly brown hair, a smile of perfect teeth beaming out at you from the shelves of deodorants and razors.

Before the Paris Olympics, Torrie Lewis was the face of the Australian athletics team, and one of the faces of the Games.

This year, Australia’s fastest woman has gladly passed that baton to Australia’s fastest boy, well, nearly man, Gout Gout.

Lewis was the big name in Aussie athletics before the public had heard of Gout Gout.

“I probably only had 10 per cent of the fame and recognition as Gout has now, and I even struggled with that level, like I was getting a bit overwhelmed. So I can’t even imagine how he feels,” Lewis said.

“Just from the outside looking in, it seems like he’s handling it really well and he’s living up to the hype.

Australia’s 100m record holder Torrie Lewis, photographed in July 2024 before the Paris Olympics.

“He’s probably the good personality for it. I’m sure he’s going to be really nervous going into [the world athletics championships in] Tokyo, but if he runs how he’s been running, he’ll go really well.”

Lewis was catapulted to national attention when she ran 11.10 seconds to break Mel Breen’s 100m record and become Australia’s fastest ever woman. Just 19 at the time, she carried that attention as Australia’s face of the Games into the Olympics and did well – she made it through to the 200m semi-finals in Paris. She followed that up going to the world under-20 championships and won silver in the 200m.

Born in England to an English mum and Jamaican-born dad, she migrated to Australia as a young girl. At the start of this year, she moved to Europe to live in the Netherlands and train with a group including Femke Bol, the Dutch Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion 400m runner and hurdler.

She began the year well, setting a new 200m personal best (22.65s) in early February. But then, after Australia’s national championships in Perth this year, injury hit.

“I did a big bit of damage to the Achilles at nationals and tried to train on it afterwards and that just made it worse and worse until I literally couldn’t walk any more. I just couldn’t walk, really. So it was pretty bad,” Lewis said.

“We got the MRI and it was a tear. So that was quite a bit of rehab, but instead of training and training until I was fit – like, I know I’m fast, so as soon as I didn’t have pain, I started competing, and even though I was running crap times, I was just racing myself into fitness, rather than just trying to train myself fit.

Torrie lewis was the face of Australian Aths team for the Paris Olympics

“I could see an improvement in myself each race. So I was happy with that. I was still doing hard trainings during it. I also had faith that, when the heat starts to come, I’m going to be fine. And now I feel like I have the same fitness as I had at the start of the year when I was running good at indoors.

“So I’m pretty confident now going into Tokyo, I’ve had all these races as practice.”

Lewis says she is a different athlete after her year in the Netherlands training with Bol’s group at the Dutch National Sports Centre at Papendal near Arnhem, an hour south-east of Amsterdam.

“I think the move has been very successful, not only for athletics but just my whole wellbeing/life,” she said.

“I’ve got my own apartment now, and I’m living independently, sort of living life as an adult. And I’m really enjoying being in a new culture, a new country and language and all that.

“I feel like I fit in and have a place there [with the training group]. And then the actual training itself.”

Bol has had a profound effect on Lewis’ professionalism. Before, she didn’t know what she didn’t know about living as an athlete. Now she does.

“It has changed things I do now and how I prepare, even for training. Back in Australia, I probably wouldn’t even know what session I had; I’d just rock up. But now I get the program for the week and I prepare for it, whether it’s food or proper sleep. I have my morning routine, and then I just feel a lot more prepared for the session.

“Femke is just such a great athlete and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She’s just really aware of everything. She’s aware of what she’s doing all the time, and everything she does has a meaning to it. Is it going to benefit her? Those are the kinds of traits I want … myself.

“Now I think I can go further, my goals are definitely getting higher and harder ... because I have more self-confidence.”

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