Trae Williams believes his massive quads are capable of eventually powering him below the magical 10-second mark but admits he will have his work cut out in the more immediate future against a crack Commonwealth Games field.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 20-year-old clocked 10.10sec - the fastest time by an Australian in 11 years - to win the national 100m title on the Gold Coast on Friday.
Nicknamed 'Quadzilla', Williams sheepishly claimed this week he could hack squat 525kg.
The muscle-bound sprinter is sure to gain cult status when he takes on a 100m Games field that could include Canadian superstar Andre De Grasse and Jamaican pair Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell.
"My time would have medalled at the past four Commonwealth Games but I know this one is going to be a lot faster," he said.
"They've all run 9.9 and lower so it'll be an interesting final.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the fastest."
Williams hopes to shave further time off before April's Games at the same Carrara Stadium track but says the end goal is a sub-10 second time at Tokyo's 2020 Games.
Only three countrymen have gone faster than Williams did last Friday, with Patrick Johnson's 9.93sec effort in 2003 the only in-competition, sub-100m time recorded by an Australian.
"There's still a lot of things I need to work on technically," Williams said.
"Point one (of a second) doesn't sound like much but when you're racing, it makes a big difference but hopefully in a few years, come Tokyo ... I think it's in me."
Pushing him is Rohan Browning, Jack Hale and Josh Clarke, with Hale hopeful of overcoming a hamstring flare-up in Friday's final to help Australia's push for 4x100m relay gold.
"We've got a good group coming through; lot of years left in us and they've been pushing me to the line for five years now," he said.
"On the track we're not mates with anyone, but off the track we're all pretty tight and the relay has helped bring us together."
Australian Associated Press
