BAYSIDE teenage sprinter Samuel Allen has etched his name into the record books at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, breaking a 23-year-old national mark in his first appearance for Australia.
The 17-year-old Queenslander stopped the clock at 11.80 seconds (+1.3) in the Men’s 100m T37 heats, eclipsing Darren Thrupp’s long-standing Australian record of 12.23 set back in 2002.
Allen’s teammate Liam Kernick also impressed, running a personal best of 12.09 – a performance that also bettered the previous national record.
While the duo did not advance to the final, both showed enormous promise on the world stage.
For Allen, the record- breaking run capped a rapid rise through the ranks of Australian para sprinting.
Born with cerebral palsy (left hemiplegia), he first took up athletics in high school.
By 15, he was the nation’s leading T37 U17 sprinter, and a year later had cemented himself as the top T37 U20 athlete over 100m and 200m.
Under the guidance of coach Stacey Taurima, a former elite Australian long and triple jumper, Allen made steady progress through 2024 and 2025.
Early this year, he met Athletics Australia’s developing standards to qualify for New Delhi.
Allen credits Taurima with shaping his career both on and off the track.
“He’s taken me from the little kid I was and taught me everything I know about athletics – how to navigate athletics off the track as well as on it,” Allen said.
Allen’s breakthrough record run has positioned him as one of the most exciting young prospects in Australian para-athletics.
