Sprint sensation Lachlan Kennedy has kicked off his national athletics championship campaign in fine style, becoming the first Australian to break the 10-second barrier legally for the 100m on home soil.
Kennedy made the most of perfect conditions and a newly laid track at Sydney Olympic Park’s athletics centre to clock 9.96 in the first heat of the men’s 100m on Friday.
It is the second time the 22-year-old has run sub-10 seconds, following his 9.98 dash at the Kip Keino Classic in Kenya last year.
National record-holder Patrick Johnson is the only other Australian to complete the feat, but ran 9.93 in Mito, Japan in 2003.
Rohan Browning (9.96 seconds) and teen star Gout Gout (9.99 seconds) have also broken the 10-second mark, but only with illegal tailwinds.
‘I didn’t really even expect it. I was just super relaxed. I was definitely pushing it, but yeah, it just felt easy, you know?’ Kennedy said.
‘I think I got a bit more in the tank, but good to see I’m in good form.
‘Definitely honoured to be the first. No one can ever take that away from you.’
Lachlan Kennedy (pictured) became he first Australian to break the 10-second barrier legally for the 100m on home soil
He ran a personal best of 9.96 seconds during the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre on April 10
Kennedy cemented his status as Australia’s fastest man at the Maurie Plant Meet a fortnight ago after setting a 100m meet record of 10.03 seconds, before upstaging Gout again to claim the 200m.
Asked if he could shave his 100m time to 9.8 seconds, Kennedy said: ‘This year, definitely. I think I’ve got so much more to give, but we’re off to a cracking start.
‘Of all the conditions, today is probably the best objectively, but at the end of the day, I’m here to win that national final.
‘I’m here to get my first national championship, so saving the best for tomorrow.’
Two-time Olympian and defending national 100m champion Browning could not compete with Kennedy’s blistering pace and ran 10.24 to reach Saturday’s semi-final.
Should Kennedy dethrone Browning in the final, he will clinch a spot for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Kennedy will also run the 200m in Sydney for the latest chapter of his rivalry with Gout, though the younger Queenslander won’t compete for a Glasgow spot.
Jessica Hull will take to the track later on Friday for the 1500m final and must fend off rising star Claudia Hollingsworth to defend her national title.
The Paris Olympics 1500m silver medallist will also look to win the 800m and 5000m this weekend, despite just a 32-minute break between the two finals on Sunday.
Hollingsworth, 20, sensationally held off British middle-distance heavyweight Georgia Hunter Bell for victory in the 1500m at last month’s Maurie Plant Meet.
