Latest news with #BorderAthleticsSC
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Athletics world blown away as Aussie Lachie Kennedy beats Olympic champ in 100m
Lachie Kennedy has finished fifth in a stacked 100m field on his Diamond League debut in the Chinese city of Xiamen, but managed to beat the Olympic 200m champion in the process. Kennedy has shot to international prominence in recent months alongside fellow Aussie young gun Gout Gout. On Saturday night, Kennedy made his Diamond League debut in Xiamen and showed the world he's the real deal. He narrowly missed the podium as he ran a 10.18 - well down from his PB of 10.00 but commendable given the situation and the nerves he would have been feeling. The 21-year-old held his own against a world-class field, with only seven-hundredths of a second separated the next six runners across the line behind winner Akani Simbine. The South African was the runaway winner in 9.99, ahead of Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya (10.13), Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain (10.17), US star Christian Coleman (10.18) and Kennedy. It was a remarkable feat that Kennedy produced the same time as former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Coleman. He also managed to beat Letsile Tebogo (10.20) - who won gold at the Paris Olympics last year in the 200m. The Botswana runner is more accomplished in the 200m, but it will still be a feather in Kennedy's cap to beat him over the shorter distance. Athletics fans were blown away by his performance on Saturday night. One person wrote on social media: "Hardly anyone had heard of Lachie Kennedy five months ago and now he's a contender at top level." Another commented: "Kennedy oh so close to the podium. Great run after a busy start to 2025." Kennedy came into the opening Diamond League meet of 2025 in career-best form, having claimed silver in the 60m at last month's world indoors in Nanjing. He ran a PB of 10.00-flat in the heats at the Australian championships earlier this month, before being pipped in the final by Rohan Browning. He was subsequently picked in the first wave of selections in Australia's squad for the upcoming world championships in Tokyo. Yes he does — BorderAthleticsSC (@Borderathletics) April 26, 2025 Kennedy oh so close to the podiumIn Lachlan Kennedy's Diamond League💎 debut he finishes a very close 5th in 10.18 (+0.2) only 0.01 from thirdGreat run after a busy start to 2025🎥 Wanda Diamond League — athsSTATS (@athsstats) April 26, 2025 Not a bad run after a few big domestic meets. Unlucky not to place — Ben (@orca_chaser) April 26, 2025 Great run Lachie Kennedy 10.18 to finish 5th in a quality international field like that 👏 #DiamondLeague — Tony Tannous (@TonyTannousTRBA) April 26, 2025 Elsewhere on Saturday night, much-improved Aussie Liam Adcock was a close second behind local favourite Zhang Mingkun in the men's long jump. Adcock, who won bronze at the recent world indoors, looked the likely winner for much of the night as he produced an 8.15m best, only for Zhang to claim victory with a leap of 8.18m in the penultimate round. Aussie stars Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers (both 1.94m) finished second and third respectively behind Paris Olympics gold medallist and world record-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the women's high jump. The Ukrainian claimed the win with a first-attempt clearance at 1.97m, before having three unsuccessful cracks at 2.03m. RELATED: Women's champ makes mockery of Gout Gout complaints in epic run Gout Gout makes huge Olympics call as fellow Aussie denied world record Abbey Caldwell broke the Oceania record in the non-championship women's 1000m with a time of 2:32.94. The Australian was second behind legendary Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, while fellow Aussie Sarah Billings was third in 2:33.45. Rose Davies broke her own Australian women's 5000m record, clocking 14 minutes 40.83 seconds in finishing ninth in a race won by Paris Olympics 5000m and 10,000m gold medallist Beatrice Chebet from Kenya in 14:27.12. Davies' previous national mark of 14:41.65 was set last year in Tokyo. At it, Abbey! ⭐Second place behind world leader and distance great Faith Kipyegon, Abbey Caldwell claims back her 1000m Australian record running 2:32.94, as compatriot Sarah Billings rounds out the podium with a PB of 2: the same race, Carley Thomas shows her form… — Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) April 26, 2025 with AAP
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rival captured in staggering act towards Gout Gout after disqualification drama
Lachie Kennedy showed his class after his highly-anticipated 200m showdown with Gout Gout was ruined on Sunday in Perth. Gout created more worldwide headlines with a remarkable run of 19.84 seconds in the 200m at the Australian athletics championships - albeit with an illegal tail-wind. Gout's showdown with Kennedy was set to be the highlight of the meet, after the latter upstaged his 17-year-old rival in the event at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne last month. But there was huge drama in Sunday's final when Kennedy was disqualified for a false start, leaving Gout as the centre of attention. The 21-year-old Kennedy was red-carded for moving before the starting gun, after some felt he committed the same foul before his heat. On that occasion he wasn't disqualified, but his luck ran out in the final and he was kicked out of the race. Kennedy watched on as Gout set the track ablaze, posting a remarkable 19.84 seconds as Aidan Murphy was a distant second in 20.40. Gout celebrated wildly upon seeing his time, but he faced a nervous wait to find out if the tail-wind was below the legal limit of 2m/second. But just like in the 100m final of the Under-20 event - when Gout recorded a 9.99 - the tail-wind was deemed illegal and the teenager's time won't go into the official record books. The reading was 2.2m/s in the 200m final, meaning his time doesn't stand as an official record. Nevertheless, Gout's 200m run is the fastest ever recorded by an Australian - wind-assisted or not - and will further put his name up in lights on the world stage. It marked the second time he's posted a wind-assisted sub-20 run in the event, following a 19.98 with a 3.6m/s tail-wind in Queensland last month. In a brilliant show of sportsmanship after Sunday's final, Kennedy ran down the track to congratulate and celebrate with Gout. Kennedy wrapped his arms around Gout and broke out in a giant smile, and couldn't be happier for his rival. "It means a lot," Gout said of Kennedy's support. "He's a fellow Queenslander. Just the camaraderie we have is definitely great and something that will continue to be great. "That was very disappointing (to see him disqualified), because our plan was to send it down the bend and hopefully we can hold on for both sub-20. But I mean, stuff like that happens, and unfortunately he false-started, but it is what it is." Even have a little handshake, love this — . (@XerrirobbedofAA) April 13, 2025 Class act! — Dan Coppel (@dcoppel) April 13, 2025 There is our opening and closing legs of relay team embracing — BorderAthleticsSC (@Borderathletics) April 13, 2025 Gout broke Peter Norman's official 56-year-old Australian record in the 200m last year when he clocked 20.04 seconds - a time faster than sprint king Usain Bolt ran at the same age (20.13). But Kennedy earned bragging rights over his 17-year-old rival last month when he posted a time of 20.26 to beat Gout by four-tenths of a second in Melbourne. The pair look destined for a titanic rivalry in both the 100m and 200m for years to come. They've yet to race head-to-head in the 100m because Gout has only competed in the Under-20 event across the shorter distance. On Saturday night, Rohan Browning reminded his younger rivals that he's still a force to be reckoned with, pipping Kennedy in a photo-finish in the 100m final. That finish 🥵 — Brisbane 2032 (@Brisbane_2032) April 13, 2025 Not putting any pressure on the lad but I can picture the Brisbane 32 advertisement campaign now and he's front and centre 🤞🙌 — jd (@thedoorunrun) April 13, 2025 19.84s!!🤯🔥17-year-old Gout Gout 🇦🇺 has just run a blistering 19.84s (2.2) to win the Australian senior men's 200m title in Perth!He beat the field by a huge margin, with Aidan Murphy a far 2nd in Kennedy was disqualified for a false start. — Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) April 13, 2025 It is quite unfortunate that the wind is affecting his times so badly but it is looking good so far. He will be up for it at the World Champs — ubhekani (@u_bhekani) April 13, 2025 with AAP
