A new chapter in Australian sprinting has been written, with Lachlan Kennedy becoming the first Australian in 22 years to legally break the 10-second barrier in the Men’s 100m.
Competing under the lights at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya, Kennedy stormed to victory in 9.98-seconds (-0.7), becoming the first to achieve the feat since Patrick Johnson’s 9.93 Australian record in 2003.
Unshaken by a false start delay, Kennedy stood tall against a stacked international field at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet, after movement from a competitor led to a green card and a race restart. The 21-year-old refocused with intend and delivered a scorching performance, stopping the clock under the magic mark.
“I was there to win today and bring it home, and I am super stoked to get the win and the time,” Kennedy said.
“It’s so good. I can finally say I run 9! I haven’t wanted to rush it or put the pressure on myself, I take every race as it comes and I knew it would come eventually.
“I’ve got a good coach (Andrew Iselin), good training partners – shout out to Calab Law, and a good S&C and team around me. It’s been about trusting the process.”
The only athlete in the field to dip below the world-class barrier, Kennedy defeated Olympic medallist Bayanda Walaza (RSA, 10.03) and hometown favourite Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN, 10.07) to cement his growing reputation as one of the fastest men on the planet.
“The crowd was nuts out there. I think there was early movement from someone in the first part of the race, but it actually did me good. It settled the nerves so I was pretty confident out there today,” Kennedy said.
“I didn’t think a 9 was realistic until a couple of years ago. When I was still playing rugby but starting to train and realising I had some speed, I made it the goal.
“I’m getting better with every race. It’s an advantage to have a long season at home. I’m not getting tired, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve later in the year as we get closer to the World Championships.”
Kennedy will next run at the prestigious Ostrava Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic on June 24 where he’ll take on friendly foe Gout Gout in the 200m, before travelling to the USA for the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5.
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted: 1/6/2025
