Rohan Browning upsets Lachlan Kennedy in classic Australian 100m final

Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy has been beaten by the barest of margins in an all-time classic at the Aussie titles in Perth.

Veteran Olympian Rohan Browning has pipped Lachlan Kennedy in an all-time 100m classic at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth.

The sprinters were both given the time of 10.01 seconds, narrowly missing breaking the magic 10-second barrier, with Browning ultimately handed his third national title by five one-thousandths of a second (0.005).

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“It’s so close, Browning had him and then Kennedy dipped late,” Bruce McAvaney said on 7plus.

“It’s very quick and it’s legal but I reckon Browning has hung on here. This is a comeback for the ages.”

A day after running 10.00 seconds in his heat, the second fastest time in Australian history, Kennedy couldn’t quite catch Tokyo Olympian Browning right on the line.

Rohan Browning (left) and Lachlan Kennedy congratulate each other after their 100m classic. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The time equals Browning’s previous personal best, which came at those Covid-affected Games in 2021.

“I think a lot of people counted me out, which makes this so much sweeter,” Browning said after getting the nod.

“My housemates are having a party, sorry I couldn’t be there boys, but nowhere else I’d rather be.”

In the semis, Browning (10.16s) stunningly also matched Kennedy’s time to show just how closely matched they are.

Sebastian Sultana managed 10.08s in his semi but didn’t run the final, leaving it to the big two of the race to duke it out, with Gout Gout opting to run the under-20 race at this event.

Roughly 24 hours after 17-year-old rival Gout twice ran 9.99 seconds with an illegal wind-assisted time in those under-20s, Kennedy stopped the clock at exactly 10 seconds on Friday with the promise of more to come on Saturday.

Kennedy (left) just failed to chase Browning (right) down. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

In his semi-final, he held off Josh Azzopardi (10.19s) and looked like he left plenty in the tank, but 27-year-old Browning had other ideas.

Browning, who is on the comeback trail from a series of injuries, got a superb start and led the way, with Kennedy closing the gap and just unable to get his nose in front.

On the eve of these titles, Kennedy said he had no doubt he will break 10 seconds this year and Patrick Johnson’s Australian record of 9.93 seconds was firmly in his sights.

We were ready for something special in the final and Browning showed he still has plenty left in him on the track.

While the 10-second barrier and Johnson’s mark were out of reach this time, it proved one of the best – and closest – domestic 100m races in history.

Originally published as Rohan Browning upsets Lachlan Kennedy in classic Australian 100m final