Kennedy breaks 10-second barrier for 100m
Lachie Kennedy has become the second Australian to break the magical 10-second barrier legally after posting a sizzling time of 9.98 seconds over 100 metres in Kenya overnight.
Kennedy became the first Australian athlete since Patrick Johnson in 2003 to stop the clock in a single-digit time, and with a legal wind, in a strong win at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, in Kenya.
The 21-year-old's time of 9.98 seconds (-0.7) bettered his previous personal best of 10.03 seconds, set in March, and continued a stellar run of recent form that included a silver medal in the 60-metre race at the World Indoor Championships, also in March.
Johnson's record of 9.93 seconds was set in 2003 but in the 22 years since no Australian sprinters have been able to join him in the sub-10 seconds club. Or legally, at least.
Several, including Rohan Browning and Gout Gout, have posted times in the 9-second window but they were not official, given they all had strong tailwinds. But Kennedy's powerhouse run in Kenya was into a headwind and perfectly legal.
Kennedy's win in Kenya saw him beat Olympic relay medallis Bayanda Walaza from South Africa, and local Ferdinand Omanyala, and saw him position himself as an emerging contender for the World Championships in September.
'I was there to win today and bring it home, and I am super stoked to get the win and the time,' Kennedy told the Athletics Australia website.
'It's so good. I can finally say I run 9! I haven't wanted to rush it or put the pressure on myself, I take every race as it comes and I knew it would come eventually.
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