But even he could never have expected that he was about to etch his name into Australian athletics folklore.

Browning became just the second Aussie to break the 10-second barrier in a 100-metres sprint race. The Sydney athlete finished with a time of 9.96 seconds - albeit with a +3.3m/s wind assistance - at the lllawarra Track Challenge at Kerry McCann Athletics Centre.

The 23-year-old is the first Australian athlete to achieve the feat since Patrick Johnson registered a 100m sprint time of 9.93 seconds in Mito, Japan in 2003.

It's a moment that Browning will never forget.

"Patrick was an incredible athlete. The Australian record is a strong national record globally, there aren't many countries with a better national record than that. It's an incredible feat," Browning told the Mercury.

"When I came down to the [Wollongong] track, and it was blowing tail winds, I knew it was a rare opportunity to try to run fast. But when I crossed the [finish] line, it was almost an underwhelming feeling because the time didn't come up on the clock. But when the first syllable of 'nine-point' when the announcer read it out, I knew it was something special, something magical.

"With these races, you tend not to remember much at all. It's all just very automatic. I think yesterday I could almost walk you through every step of the race, it felt fast in the perfect race. The wind was blowing along nice, but hopefully there's still room for improvement."

Since then, Browning has barely had a chance to stop and reflect as he has been inundated with messages of support.

"I had to turn my phone off yesterday because I've barely had a moment to let it soak in," Browning said.

"The first thing I did [after the race] was go back and my coach Andrew Murphy gave me a big hug, but he already had some analysis on where we could have been better. I think the best approach is to take a moment, let it sink in and try to keep improving.

"Andrew is a three-time Olympian in the triple jump and we have a very close personal relationship. We met when I was in high school ... and he has always gone above and beyond from there. He has been my only coach in athletics, I got into it a little bit later and started training fulltime when I was 16. But I met him when I was 12 and he has been my only coach all the way through.

"Over the years we've developed this very close relationship and it's like having a second father figure. He's a very close mentor and friend, I think it's a very rare relationship and very special."

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While happy to return home, Browning said he had plans to return to Wollongong in the future.

"My grandparents live in Wollongong, so I used to always come down there. But I hadn't raced there [Kerry McCann Athletics Centre] much before. I think I'd run there maybe once in 2017," Browning said.

"But needless to say, I will be back again in the future."

Rohan Browning may have powered to a historic win on Saturday, but the Sydney athlete remains unsure about where he'll go next.

The 23-year-old grabbed the athletic world's attention with his time of 9.96 seconds in a 100-metres sprint race in Wollongong on Saturday.

But the ongoing impact of COVID-19 makes it difficult for all athletes to plan ahead, including Browning. Although it has been a tricky 12 months, he says he will continue to try to make the best out of the situation.

"It's hard to plan and have certainty at the moment because of border closures and travel restrictions. I know if I have any opportunity to race, I have to take it and make the most of it, and treat it like it could be my last for the year," Browning said.

"I will just keep running in NSW as much as possible and try to race interstate if possible, there's just no certainties. But the big one for me will be the Olympic trials at the Australian Athletics Championships in April in Sydney."