Sprinter ‘faster than Gout Gout’ breaks record with an amazing fast time!
A 22-year-old sprinter made history with an amazing run at the Australian Athletics Championships on Friday (April 10).
People were talking a lot about Gout Gout before the event, but it was Lachlan Kennedy who surprised everyone at Sydney Olympic Park.
Kennedy ran the 100 metres heats in under 10 seconds, finishing far ahead of the others. He set the fastest 100 metres time ever run by an Australian on home ground with a time of 9.96 seconds—just 0.03 seconds shy of the national record set by Patrick Johnson in Japan back in 2003. His time was also within the legal wind limit of two metres per second.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect it,” Kennedy said after the race. “I was relaxed, not just cruising—I was definitely pushing, but it felt easy. I think I have a bit more to give. This is only my second 100-metre race this season, so we’re off to a great start.”
Kennedy, who grew up in Brisbane, believes he can run even faster, hoping to break 9.9 seconds later this year.
On the other hand, Gout has run a personal best of 9.99 seconds in April 2025, but that time isn’t official because the wind helped him. His official best is 10.00 seconds from February 2026.
Kennedy has already run under 10 seconds twice in his young career. His previous best was 9.98 seconds, set in Kenya in May 2025.
He added, “Doing it once is great, but doing it twice—I want to make it a regular thing. I want it to be normal for me.”
Tomorrow (April 11), Kennedy will focus on the semi-finals and possibly the 100m final before facing Gout on Sunday (April 12), if both qualify.
“I’ve got so much more to give … but we’re off to a great start,” he said. “Today’s conditions were probably the best, but I’m here to win the national final. I want my first national championship—so I’m saving the best for tomorrow.”
Top 100m times by Australians:
– 9.93 seconds — Patrick Johnson — May 5, 2003
– 9.96 seconds — Lachlan Kennedy — April 10, 2026
– 9.98 seconds — Lachlan Kennedy — May 31, 2025
– 10.00 seconds — Gout Gout — February 21, 2026
– 10.01 seconds — Rohan Browning — July 31, 2021