Gout, Browning, Azzopardi and Kennedy in race to break historic 10-second 100m mark

It’s been 22 years since the first Australian broke the magical 10-second 100m barrier – next month there could be “multiple” men to make the mark.

Australian sprint sensations Gout Gout, Rohan Browning, Joshua Azzopardi and Lachlan Kennedy.

It’s been 22 years since the first Australian broke the magical 10-second 100m barrier – next month there could be “multiple”.

That’s the stunning prediction given the explosion in the Australia’s sprinting ranks which sees a handful of men on the cusp of making history.

Leading the charge is 21-year-old Queenslander Lachlan Kennedy who moved to equal third on the Australia’s all-time list with a slick 10.03sec at the Perth Track Classic on Saturday night.

That performance in perfect conditions on a lightning fast track has experts predicting something special when the Australian championships are held back on that same track in Perth from April 10-13.

Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy’s performance to run 10.03 has ignited hopes the 10-second mark may soon be broken.

Schoolboy sensation Gout Gout will attempt it in the U/20 100m at the championships with Kennedy to clash with Olympic semi-finalist Rohan Browning, reigning national champion Sebastian Sultana and Joshua Azzopardi – who ran a personal best 10.09sec on Saturday – in the senior 100m event.

Patrick Johnson is the only Australian to go sub-10sec, clocking 9.93sec in Japan in 2003.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Stawell Gift winner and Ch 7 commentator Jason Richardson said.

“It’s going to happen and it’s not just going to be one, it’s going to be multiple who do it.

“Perth is the perfect place to do it and you can definitely see a scenario where Gout, Rohan (Browning), who I’m not ruling out, Lachie Kennedy and Seb Sultana all run sub-10.”

Gout Gout has taken the athletics world by storm. Picture: Getty Images

There is also a bunch of talented female sprinters emerging led by Australian record holder Torrie Lewis, who is currently training overseas, and fellow Olympian Bree Rizzo who ran a sizzling 11.09sec with an illegal wind in Perth on the weekend.

Australian Athletics high performance manager Andrew Faichney says the sprinters are following in the footsteps of the middle-distance runners who emerged together on the world stage over the past four years.

After having two finalists in both the men’s and women’s 1500m finals at the Tokyo Olympics, Ollie Hoare emerged from that to win the Commonwealth title 12 months later with Jessica Hull claiming the Olympic silver medal in Paris last year.

Torrie Lewis is the current Australian record holder. Picture: Michael Klein

“I reckon it’s a breakdown of the impossibility,” Faichney said.

“We had that with our middle-distance group, it came from Tokyo onwards and people see that it’s not beyond them for the Australians to be really successful.”

Faichney said the sport’s investment in a relay program had paid dividends with both the men’s and women’s 4x100m teams almost making the final in Paris.

Jessica Hull won silver in the 1500m. Picture: Getty Images

He is predicting significantly better in three years time at the 2028 LA Olympic Games.

“I fully plan for us to be able to get a medal in LA in the relays, at least one,” Faichney said. “We have got these individuals who have gone to world juniors and made finals and won medals.

“They’ve won medals in relays too and they are the ones who are coming forward in the individual so it is elevating all the way through.”

Gout, who ran a wind-assisted 10.04sec last year, will be the star of the show in Perth and is coming off a training stint with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in the US in January. He is scheduled to compete at the Queensland state championships next week.

Originally published as Gout, Browning, Azzopardi and Kennedy in race to break historic 10-second 100m mark