Lachie Kennedy Upstages Gout Gout To Win 200m At Peter Norman Memorial

Gout Gout has a problem and his sanction is Lachie Kennedy. In different enthralling evening successful Australian athletics, nan superstar teen was erstwhile again upstaged by his chap Queenslander, astatine nan Maurie Plant Meet connected Saturday.

Under pouring rainfall astatine Lakeside Stadium successful beforehand of adjacent to 9,000 fans, Kennedy held disconnected nan fast-finishing Gout successful nan Peter Norman Memorial 200m. The consequence was a replay of past twelvemonth successful a title that is now nan clear item of nan Australian athletics season.

“Today he sewage nan win, but adjacent clip I’ll beryllium amended for sure,” Gout said aft crossing nan statement second, 5 hundredths of a 2nd down nan winner. “It was very rocky.”

Gout was talking astir his start, but nan Sylvester Stallone films mightiness beryllium arsenic apt. These early duels betwixt nan young sprinters are formative successful a Hollywoodesque rivalry group to punctuate nan buildup to Brisbane 2032. Like nan Italian Stallion and Apollo Creed, nan brace stock similarities and differences. But obscurity are their differences much evident than connected nan track.

Kennedy had already won nan 100m up of nan nationalist champion Rohan Browning earlier successful nan evening and was a deserved victor complete 200m, finishing successful 20.38sec contempt nan inclement conditions. His blistering commencement near nan section behind, moreover if location were moments successful nan closing metres that it looked for illustration Gout’s top-end velocity mightiness conscionable reel him in.

“You cognize he’s going to come, truthful it’s each astir conscionable holding on, not panicking,” Kennedy said. “He will dress up ground, but it’s each astir conscionable hanging on. You’ve conscionable sewage to not freak out, conscionable enactment relaxed.”

On Saturday, Kennedy v Gout II was arsenic compelling arsenic nan original, and nan twist was location was nary twist. “Back to back, it doesn’t get overmuch amended than that,” Kennedy said, still panting aft his victory, marked by a dense ablution conscionable arsenic nan competitors approached their blocks.

“It’s been barren each night, and nan 2nd we sewage successful nan passageway and started stepping out, it started pouring, truthful I was like, ‘They’re making it cinematic arsenic … ’,” he said. “It was a title astatine nan extremity of nan day, truthful I sewage nan happy ending.”

Gout Gout (right) congratulates Lachlan Kennedy connected winning nan Peter Norman Memorial 200m. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Gout is 18 – 4 years Kennedy’s inferior – and though he vanished 2nd he still easy accounted for nan remainder of nan section including Ben Richardson, a semi-finalist successful nan 200m astatine nan Paris Olympics.

The teen remained upbeat aft nan race, celebrating pinch Kennedy and posing for nan cameras. “It is what it is,” he told nan press. “It’s a spot wet, but there’s things you study and things you’ve sewage to attraction on.”

Kennedy had earlier impressed successful nan 100m, scorching nan remainder of nan section pinch a clip of 10.03sec contempt blustery conditions and a half stumble. The Queenslander has flooded a superior backmost wounded which prevented him from going to nan world championships past year. But erstwhile he saw nan timepiece arsenic he crossed nan line, he wagged his lingua to celebrate. “Conditions aren’t elite, but nan truth I was capable to spell retired location and execute, moreover pinch things going wrong, it’s conscionable really bully for nan assurance bank,” he said.

Gout-mania drove a sellout of astir 10,000 fans past year, but incessant rainfall connected Saturday greeting – arsenic good arsenic an uncertain forecast for nan evening – wounded walk-up summons sales. Still, nan stands were adjacent to capacity for nan biggest arena of nan Australian athletics calendar.

The commencement of nan sporting twelvemonth successful Melbourne is marked by nan Australian Open. By nan clip March rolls around, nan grand prix takes complete Albert Park, again attracting hundreds of thousands. In nan inheritance to it each is nan commencement of nan AFL season, which eats what is near of nan city’s sporting attraction and stays quiet for nan adjacent 30 weeks.

Saturday’s near-full grandstand – situated metres wrong nan actual barriers of nan Formula One circuit – was a reminder of nan worth of Gout, possibly nan nation’s astir identifiable sporting talent.

There were bonzer performances connected Saturday night, immoderate acold much important successful nan careers of Australia’s different apical athletes than Gout’s 2nd place. Cam Myers ran nan fastest 1500m recorded successful Australia. Claudia Hollingsworth held disconnected world indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell successful nan women’s 1500m. The rod vaulter Nina Kennedy obliterated nan section successful her return to top-level competition.

But Gout remains nan No 1 attraction. While he is yet to realise his bonzer potential, nan steps on nan measurement make for compelling viewing – conscionable inquire nan thousands opinionated successful soundlessness successful nan rainfall astatine Lakeside, waiting pinch eager eyes and phones aloft to spot him run. And arsenic his fable grows, truthful excessively does Kennedy’s.