Lachlan Kennedy nudges ahead of Gout Gout in the race to become Australia’s next sub-10s sprinter

While many thought schoolboy superstar Gout Gout was the most likely next Australian through the magical 10-second barrier, his push has been eclipsed by another breakout star.

Lachlan Kennedy has put down his marker to be Australia’s second sub-10 second 100m runner.

The Queensland sprinter moved to equal third on the Australian all-time list with a scorching 10.03sec (+1.1 mps) at the Perth Track Classic.

While many thought schoolboy superstar Gout Gout was the most likely next Aussie through the magical barrier, Kennedy’s breakout form over the past month has him on the cusp of history.

Patrick Johnson is the only Australian to go sub-10sec, clocking 9.93sec in Japan in 2003. Rohan Browning clocked 10.01sec at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with Kennedy joining Matt Shirvington who ran 10.03sec at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.

Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy has thrown the gauntlet down to Gout Gout.

Kennedy, 21, already has the Australian 60m record which he took off Shirvington in January, clocking a sizzling 6.43sec.

“It felt so good to run that fast but I actually missed the start a bit,” Kennedy said. “ I didn’t get my normal burst, so to be able to nail the last 40m, which is something I really wanted to work on – it’s a big sigh of relief.

“I know I can go faster if I can nail that start, and if I can do that with the last 40m I just ran there, we’re cookin’.”

The top three placegetters all ran career bests with Joshua Azzopardi clocking 10.09sec and reigning national champion Sebastian Sultana 10.11sec.

Gout Gout is considered one of the hottest prospects in world athletics. Picture: Getty

A fast track in Perth is exciting news given the Australian championships are back there next month with 17-year-old Gout Gout to be the star attraction.

He showed what he was capable of with a wind-assisted 10.04sec in December but there won’t be a head-to-head showdown between Gout and Kennedy.

While Gout will race in the open men’s 200m at the championships, he is only running the U/20 100m event.

Kennedy has had a whirlwind 12 months with the former elite junior rugby player rising from obscurity to representing Australia at the Paris Olympics.

He ran the opening leg in the 4x100m relay in Paris where the team broke the national record but fell just agonisingly short of making the final.

Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy.

Fellow Olympian Bree Rizzo also capitalised on the fast conditions although her 11.09sec came with an illegal wind (+3.0 mps). The time was still the fastest by an Australian in all-conditions since 2000, and the fifth fastest time in all conditions in history.

Rizzo beat home her Paris Olympic teammate Mia Gross (11.20sec).

“Coming in today, I was hunting down an 11.1 legal and I think I would have been pretty close if it was a nice legal wind, but I’m so stoked with that,” Rizzo said.

“I haven’t run that fast ever so I think the main thing to take away is that my legs can move that fast so now we just need to make it happen in legal conditions.”

In the men’s long-jump Liam Adcock delivered a massive 18cm personal best, leaping 8.33m to move to equal fifth on the Australian all-time list.

Originally published as Lachlan Kennedy nudges ahead of Gout Gout in the race to become Australia’s next sub-10s sprinter