Lachlan Kennedy just broke the 10-second barrier, and guess what?
He has “definitely got more in the tank”.
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
The Australian sprint sensation made a statement in the 100m heat at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney, recording a blistering time of 9.96 seconds.
“What an extraordinary young talent he is,” legendary broadcaster Bruce McAvaney said in commentary on Channel 7.
It followed a successful Maurie Plant Meet for Kennedy, who won the 100m men’s final with a new meet record time of 10.03 (+0.3) and then beat Australian rival Gout Gout in the 200m event.
“My goal was just to hit the start like I normally do it, hit top-speed and then try and maintain it,” Kennedy told Channel 7 after his run at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.
“I’ve definitely got more in the tank. But what a great way to start the comp.”
Kennedy said it was “awesome” to break the 10-second barrier, joining Patrick Johnson as the only countryman to have done it after Australia’s fastest man did so at Mito, Japan in 2003.
Johnson clocked 9.93 seconds on that day with a legal tailwind of 1.8 metres per second.
Kennedy holds on to beat Gout Gout | 01:41
“I’ve never done it before. Hopefully I do it a couple more times. I’m super thrilled, super happy,” Kennedy said of his sub 10-second time, which was a personal best.
Given Kennedy has more left in the tank, it is surely a matter of time before Johnson’s long-standing Australian 100-metre record is toppled. The record holder himself wants to see it happen.
“Look, I was the first but I never wanted to be the last,” Johnson told Reuters last year.
“It’s nice to have a few sprinters having a look at it.”
Kennedy will have a chance to do just that in the 100m final at 8.37pm on Saturday, while he renews his rivalry with Gout in the 200m final on Sunday, provided they both qualify.
Discussion about this post