'It's so on': Lachie Kennedy clocks 10.00 seconds, pours fuel on Gout Gout rivalry
PERTH: Lachie Kennedy clocked the second-fastest legal 100-metre time by an Australian in history at the national athletics championships in Perth on Friday night — but his pursuit of a sub-10-second breakthrough will continue.
The 21-year-old Brisbane product stopped the clock at 10.00 seconds in the heats at WA Athletics Stadium.
The only Australian who's run a quicker time in legal wind conditions is Patrick Johnson, who posted 9.93 aided by a wind of +1.8 metres per second in Japan in 2003.
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Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout twice clocked 9.99 seconds in the under-20 100m at the national championships on Thursday night, but was twice assisted by a wind too blustery to be legal.
On the contrary, Kennedy clocked 10.00 helped by a legal wind of +0.9.
Lachie Kennedy glances at the clock in his 100m heat. Getty
Kennedy and Gout are good mates but are in a race to become Australia's first legal sub-10-second man since Johnson — and Kennedy poured fuel on the rivalry after Friday night's run.
"The race for a legal 19 [seconds in the 200m] and the race for a legal nine [seconds in the 100m], it's so on," Kennedy told reporters trackside.
Asked how it will feel if he beats Gout to running a legal sub-10-second time, Kennedy quipped: "There'll be a bit of chirping, for sure. It's all good fun."
The Queenslander, a world indoor championship silver medallist in the 60m, didn't dip on Friday night.
He also glanced at the clock in the closing stages.
"I really want to save all my juice for the final because I want the final to be intense," Kennedy said.
"I definitely pushed out for the first bit. I was just practising for how I want to run the final. I may have subconsciously shut off. I was staring at the clock with like 30 metres to go and I was like, 'Shit, I might get this'. I think with a dip it could have been nine [seconds], but I've got two more races to do that [in the semi-finals and final]."
Rohan Browning in action on Friday night. Getty
At Melbourne's Maurie Plant Meet late last month, Kennedy edged Gout by four hundredths of a second in the 200m.
While Gout contested the 100m in the under-20 division at the national championships, the 17-year-old will run in the open field in the 200m.
The second-fastest time of the 100m heats was posted by Rohan Browning, who laid down a 10.07 (+2.1 wind).
Sebastian Sultana recorded the third-fastest time with a 10.12 (+1.7).
Any wind greater than +2.00 constitutes illegal conditions.
