Lachlan Kennedy Poised to Shatter Australia’s 100-Metre Record
Lachlan Kennedy, a rising star in Australian sprinting, is set to challenge Patrick Johnson’s long-standing 100-metre record of 9.93 seconds at the national athletics championships. The event, held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, has already begun, and Kennedy is preparing for his first opportunity to break the record during the heats of the 100m race just after 7pm on Friday.
The conditions appear to be ideal for a potential record-breaking performance. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the temperature will be a balmy 29 degrees at the time of the race, which is considered perfect for sprinting. Additionally, if there is a tailwind of +1.5 to +2.00 metres per second, Kennedy could find himself in what his coach describes as “sprint nirvana.”
Kennedy’s personal best is 9.98 seconds, which he achieved in Kenya in May last year. He and Johnson are the only Australians to have broken the iconic 10-second barrier under legal wind conditions.
Kennedy’s coach, Iselin, believes that the young sprinter is capable of achieving a time in the 9.8s and potentially even breaking the 20-second barrier in the 200m. “I don’t like to put an exact ceiling on things because then we limit ourselves and it can lead to overthinking,” Iselin said. “I would not be surprised at all if he breaks that sort of 9.9 this weekend.”
When asked if he believed Johnson’s record was under serious threat, Iselin responded with confidence: “To be honest, I think it’s gone — if things go the right way.”
A Strong Performance in Melbourne
What makes Iselin so confident in Kennedy’s ability to break the record? A recent performance at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne offers some insight. Despite challenging conditions, including a mild night and only a small gust of wind behind him, Kennedy ran a 10.03 seconds. Iselin described the conditions as “probably just about as bad as they could be in Melbourne,” yet Kennedy managed to max out his time.
However, the race wasn’t without its challenges. Kennedy was too aggressive out of the blocks, resulting in a “breaking step” — a movement where his foot landed in front of his body. Iselin noted that Kennedy was actually worried about “face planting.” If the Queenslander had executed a better start, he may have cracked the 10-second barrier in that run, despite the conditions and the fact that it was his first 100m since July last year, when he was sidelined due to a stress fracture in his back.
Despite these setbacks, Kennedy dominated the 100m at the Maurie Plant Meet, defeating Olympic semi-finalist and reigning national champion Rohan Browning. Just under two hours later, after suffering major cramps that had Iselin urging him to call it a night, Kennedy backed up for the 200m and, for the second year running, defeated teen sensation Gout Gout.
Gout isn’t competing in the 100m at the national championships in Sydney, but he and Kennedy will face off again in the 200m final on Sunday afternoon, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
A New Era for Australian Sprinting
Iselin believes that Australia, and the world, are gradually beginning to recognize the immense talent of Kennedy. He suggests that Australia now has two, not just one, world-class male sprinters. “It seems to slowly be happening, and look, it has been happening for a while now, I think,” Iselin said. “He didn’t run in Tokyo last year [at the world championships], and the attention on him sort of went away a little bit.”
Kennedy will compete in the heats of the 100m just after 7pm on Friday and, barring a disaster, will be in the 100m final at 8.37pm on Saturday. His performance this weekend could mark the beginning of a new era in Australian sprinting.
