Lachlan Kennedy Becomes First Australian To Run 100m In Under 10 Seconds On Home Soil

In a historical evening for athletics astatine nan nationalist championships astatine Sydney Olympic Park, Lachie Kennedy became nan first Australian 100m sprinter to break nan 10-second obstruction connected location soil.

The 22-year-old stormed retired of nan blocks and surged done nan decorativeness statement successful nan first power of nan 100m connected Friday night, stopping nan timepiece astatine 9.96sec pinch only a humble – and ineligible – tailwind of +0.3.

It lowered nan individual champion he group past twelvemonth successful Nairobi by 2 hundredths of a second, and was nan first clip a section has tally nether 10 seconds for 100 metres successful an arena connected location soil.

“Honestly, I didn’t really moreover expect it. I was conscionable ace relaxed, ace – not cruisey, I was decidedly pushing it – but it conscionable felt easy,” Kennedy said. “So I deliberation I’ve sewage a spot much successful nan tank.”

The fastest anyone has tally successful Australia is Maurice Greene’s 9.87sec, group successful 2000 during nan Sydney 2000 last astatine nan Olympic Stadium, hardly much than a stone’s propulsion from nan Athletic Centre wherever Kennedy made history connected Friday.

The Queenslander feels he could spell nether 9.9sec arsenic soon arsenic this year.

“This is still only my 2nd 100 [race of nan season], truthful I’ve sewage truthful overmuch much to give, but we’re disconnected to a cracking start.”

Having now gone nether 10 seconds twice, Kennedy said he wants to make a wont of it.

“Doing it erstwhile is good, but doing it doubly – I want to make a spot of a shape of it, I want to make it routine, I want to make it nan standard.”

Kennedy will title 100m semi-finals and apt nan last connected Saturday night, earlier he takes connected nan 200m connected Sunday against Gout Gout.

Rohan Browning, nan defending 100m nationalist champion who hit Kennedy successful Perth past year, besides won his heat.

The nationalist grounds is 9.93sec, group by Patrick Johnson successful Japan successful 2003. Johnson and Kennedy are nan only Australians to person tally 100m nether 10 seconds successful ineligible upwind conditions. Browning and Gout person besides tally nether nan mark, but pinch excessive tailwinds.

Kennedy said he was honoured to beryllium nan first Australian to tally a ineligible sub-10sec tally successful Australia.

“I judge we’ll person measurement much successful nan future, [but I am] decidedly honoured to beryllium nan first. No 1 tin ever return that distant from you.”

Usain Bolt group nan world grounds of 9.58sec successful 2009.