Lachlan Kennedy creates history in sub-10 stunner on Aussie soil
Updated . First published at
Brisbane speed demon Lachlan Kennedy created history in the 100 metres at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday night, becoming the first Australian to shatter the iconic 10-second barrier in legal wind conditions on home soil.
The 22-year-old stopped the clock at 9.96 seconds at the Australian athletics championships — and he did so in the heats.
Post-run, he declared he'd be gunning for Patrick Johnson's long-standing national record, 9.93 seconds, on Saturday.
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Crucially, Kennedy only had a wind measuring +0.2 metres per second behind him — well inside the +2.0m/s allowance.
The Queenslander ran 9.98 seconds in Kenya in May last year to become just the second Australian to crack the 10-second mark in legal wind conditions.
Lachlan Kennedy celebrates his historic run. Australian Athletics
Prior to Friday, the fastest any Australian had run on home soil legally was 10 seconds flat. Kennedy ran 10 flat in Perth last year and teen phenom Gout Gout did it in Brisbane this year.
Olympic semi-finalist Rohan Browning (9.96) and Gout (9.99 twice) have dipped under the 10-second mark in Australia in illegal wind conditions.
"I'm honoured," a visibly chuffed Kennedy said after his historic run.
"I'm honoured to be the first to do it. I'm sure we'll have way more in the future. I'm definitely honoured to be the first. No one can ever take that away from you. I'm certainly glad it was me."
While the tailwind was only minimal, it was a balmy 29 degrees when Kennedy ran his heat — an ideal temperature for sprinting.
"It just felt easy, so I think I've got a bit more in the tank," Kennedy said.
"I think I've got so much more to give. This is still only my second 100m [this year].
"Doing it once is good, but doing it twice — I want to make a pattern of it, I want to make it routine, I want to make that standard.
"I'm super stoked."
Kennedy was elated. Getty
Johnson clocked 9.93 seconds in Japan in 2003, aided by a +1.8m/s wind.
The fastest legal time run by an athlete of any nationality in Australia is 9.87, recorded by the USA's Maurice Greene when he won gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Kennedy and his coach, Andrew Iselin, both believe he is capable of running in the 9.8s this weekend, provided he has good conditions.
"I don't like to put a ceiling on what I can do, but I think I'll definitely, hopefully, try and break that Aussie record tomorrow," Kennedy said.
His top priority, however, is winning.
"I'm here to win that national final, I'm here to get my first national champ, so I'm saving my best for tomorrow," he said.
The history-making Kennedy greets the crowd. Oceania Athletics
The 100m semis and final will both be held on Saturday night, with the final scheduled for 8.37pm.
Browning and 10.09 guy Josh Azzopardi are the biggest threats to Kennedy's title hunt, although Kennedy is the raging-hot favourite.
Gout is only competing in the 200m at the national championships this weekend.
Barring a calamity, Kennedy and Gout will square off in the 200m final at 1.55pm on Sunday, a fortnight after their latest epic showdown at Melbourne's Maurie Plant.
