'He's a very rare breed': Coach of new Aussie sprint star Eddie Nketia puts world's biggest names on notice

Sprint phenom Eddie Nketia, the Kiwi defector who last weekend recorded the fastest "all conditions" 100 metres in Australian history, can become the best in the world, his coach has claimed.

And Nketia, described by his coach as "The Incredible Hulk", so explosive are his feats in the gym, has declared he's chasing Olympic gold in 2028 – but he first wants to beat Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout to breaking the Australian record.

Nketia is the 24-year-old sprinter who in the US last weekend ripped a 9.84-second 100m to break Patrick Johnson's "all conditions" national record – the 9.88 run by Johnson in Perth in 2003.

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Nketia had an illegal +2.8m/s wind at his back, hence why the 9.93 run by Johnson in Japan in 2003 remains the national record, but the message from Nketia was clear: I mean business.

"I think he could be the best ever, at least from Australia," Nketia's NCAA coach, Brenton Emmanuel, told Australian media over Zoom on Friday.

"I can't say he's gonna be the best in the world [in history] because obviously Usain Bolt was an anomaly, but I definitely think Eddie has a long career in track and field.

"... We've made some changes to his diet and his physique and stuff like that, and I think it's paying off, and he's still figuring out his block start. You would never know a young man that strong, as strong as he is, is still like a baby behind the ears in the weight room, but also in the blocks, and he needs to continue to get better.

"That [9.84-second run] was just a preview of what he's capable of doing in my opinion."

The journalists on the call had a double take. The best in the world? Better than Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville?

"I mean, he has the potential," Emmanuel smiled.

"I can't guarantee you that, but I think he can give those guys a run for their money.

"The things that I see on a daily basis in practice – he is so powerful, so strong. He's very unique.

"There's no one else that I can think of that's built like him. Maybe Asafa Powell was.

"But Eddie has a different thing he brings to the table and I think he can be considered one of the greats."

Nketia was born in Auckland but grew up in Canberra. He did his schooling at St Edmund's College and represented the ACT at multiple Australian athletics championships.

He originally represented New Zealand on the world stage – he ran for the Kiwis at the world athletics championships in the US in 2022 – but switched his allegiance to Australia in December last year.

He explained over Zoom that his reasons for the defection were selection issues and Athletics New Zealand not providing enough resources when he was based in Australia.

Needless to say, New Zealand's loss is Australia's gain.

"The LA Olympics is coming up in two years, and my goal is to put a name out there, put a legacy out there and hopefully achieve the Olympic gold medal," Nketia said.

"But any medal will do – like, not just the individuals, but also for the relays as well.

"It'll be a beautiful thing to bring to the green and gold."

Australian Athletics (AA) bosses are salivating at the prospect of the Kiwi defector joining forces with Kennedy, Gout and Rohan Browning – or Aidan Murphy, Josh Azzopardi or Sebastian Sultana – in a 4x100m relay team at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Nketia is salivating, too.

"I just can't wait till we get together, man," he said.

"That's where we're gonna be dangerous ... It's going to be awesome."

Until he withdrew, Nketia was set to run in green and gold for the first time at the world relay championships in Botswana in early May. The official word out of AA is he's pulled out due to commitments in the US, where he runs for and studies at the University of Southern California.

All going to plan, he will turn out in green and gold for the first time at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July.

Australia has become engrossed by the rivalry between Kennedy and Gout over the past couple of years.

It's now a three-way rivalry, and the race to be the guy who takes down Johnson's national record is on.

Kennedy's personal best is 9.96, Gout's 10.00 and Nketia's 10.08. Gout and Nketia have both cracked the iconic 10-second mark in illegal wind conditions, and it's a matter of when, not if, they join Kennedy in the sub-10 club.

"Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout have been very impressive this season. It's good for the sport and it's good for the country. It's very good to see them perform," Nketia said.

"My aim is to aim for Patrick Johnson's record. I believe it's possible after this last weekend.

"But I'm just gonna ride out the NCAA season and just keep on executing my races and just see where I can go, and hopefully, well, we should get the record."

He's been in touch with Kennedy and Gout.

"I love these guys, man," he said.

"I actually talk to them a lot ... We have a kind of loving relationship and a kind of competitiveness, as well."

Nketia's work ethic is "phenomenal", his coach said.

It's also frightening.

"I've never asked him to work harder; it's more about don't muscle everything, because he can be The Incredible Hulk, and he's a very strong kid," Emmanuel said.

"He can make 400 pounds [181kg] on squat look like it's nothing. Put it that way."

In Nketia's mind, the wildest feat he's pulled off in the gym is a 330-pound (150kg) power clean.

It's a move that involves hauling a weighted barbell off the floor – in Nketia's case, a barbell with 150kg lugged onto it – and catching it on the shoulders.

"I've been gymming seriously for like five, six years, and I'm finally getting technical because all the time I've been doing it with raw strength. But 330 pounds is insane to me – that's a lot of weight," Nketia said.

"There's not many people like him when it comes to the talent and the potential that's out there," Emmanuel said.

"He's a very rare breed."