Athletics news 2026: Why Eddie Nketia was not selected on Australian men’s 4x100m relay team for Glasgow Commonwealth Games

He’s the fastest man over 100 metres in Australian history – including wind-illegal runs – but he won’t be suiting up for the men’s 4x100m relay at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Eddie Nketia, the Kiwi-born sprint sensation who in December switched his allegiance to Australia, was on Monday named to run in the 100m at next month’s Commonwealth Games but not the 4x100m relay.

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Allowed to select up to five athletes per relay team, Australian Athletics (AA) picked Lachlan Kennedy, Rohan Browning, Josh Azzopardi, Calab Law and Christopher Ius for the 4x100m.

Nine.com.au understands Nketia will be on standby in case any of the five relay members get injured.

While the 25-year-old US college sprinter has put down a series of rapid times this year, including five wind-illegal sub-10-second runs, his commitments in America have not allowed him to train consistently with the relay squad.

Nine.com.au understands his lack of practice with the relay squad made it difficult for selectors to pick him.

And as some Australian relay teams have learned the hard way in recent years, making clean baton changeovers is paramount.

“It would have been awesome to be selected [for the relay team], but then again, I got selected for the 100m, and I’m thinking I’m going to concentrate on the 100m,” Nketia told nine.com.au.

“If anything changes, then who knows?

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“I’m just happy to support the boys in green and gold, but honestly, we’ll just take it one day at a time.

“I don’t know much information about that [not getting picked on the relay team], but whatever happens, happens.

“I’m just purely proud of the boys, of what they’ve come through, especially from Botswana at the world relay championships [in May].”

In 2023, Nketia gave away athletics to become a wide receiver for the University of Hawaii and chase a career in the NFL. He also has a background in rugby union.

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But he dropped American football and returned to athletics, securing a scholarship with the University of Southern California in the NCAA.

Assisted in April by a tailwind measuring +2.8 metres per second, he blazed through a 100m race in 9.84 to shatter the “all conditions” Australian record set by Patrick Johnson in 2003. Johnson’s record was 9.88.

Nketia then lowered his record to 9.74 in May with a mini tornado blowing him along – a gale-force +5.6mps tailwind.

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He was unavailable for the world relay championships in Botswana in May because of his NCAA commitments.

“It’s just been very hard to get some time off for the Australian relay team,” Nketia said.

An Australian 4x100m relay team featuring Kennedy, Azzopardi, Ius and Browning finished fourth in the final at the world relay titles.

Of the three countries that beat the Australian quartet, only South Africa competes at the Commonwealth Games.

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“I reckon we can medal,” Nketia said.

“We did so well in the Botswana world relays, so if we put it all together in the Commonwealth Games, I don’t see why we can’t medal.”

Nketia will be making his Australian debut in Glasgow.

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He competed for New Zealand at the world athletics championships in Oregon in 2022 but ditched the Kiwis for Australia because of selection and resource issues.

He is eligible to run for Australia because he was raised and did his schooling in Canberra.

“It’s just been a long time coming [the Australian debut]. I have exceptional pride. It’s just so beautiful, and I just can’t wait to just go out there and run for the green and gold,” he said.

“All my years I’ve been turned down [from a] political standpoint and everything, man. Running for the green and gold, it’s just all the perseverance and everything I have to do to get to where I am right now.”

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While he’s dipped under the 10-second barrier on a host of occasions in illegal wind conditions, his personal best remains 10.06. He ran that time last month.

“I’m hoping to achieve a legal sub-10 [in Glasgow], but I would love to just see if I could go 9.8 in cold conditions because that will show something,” Nketia said.

“I’ve got my eyes on medalling, but I ain’t going to try and pay attention to that; I’m just going to focus on the execution for it to happen.”

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Kennedy told nine.com.au last week he wouldn’t be fazed if he was beaten to breaking Johnson’s 100m national record, the 9.93 he ran in 2003. He will simply knock off the new mark, Kennedy said.

Nketia’s reply?

“Hey man, just go best that,” he said. “I’ve got to make sure I’ll be on top of my competition as well ... Kennedy and Gout Gout have just been so exceptional.

“But like, I’ll get them for sure,” he added with a laugh.

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