Lachlan Kennedy Makes History with Sub-10 Second National 100m Victory
Sprint sensation Lachlan Kennedy has emphatically broken the 10-second barrier to secure his first national 100m title and earn his place at the upcoming Commonwealth Games. The 22-year-old Queenslander delivered a blistering performance to win Saturday's final in a remarkable time of 9.96 seconds under legal conditions at the national championships held at Sydney Olympic Park.
A Landmark Achievement on Home Soil
Kennedy's landmark victory came just one day after he clocked an identical 9.96 seconds in his heat, making him the first Australian athlete to legally break the 10-second barrier for the 100m on home territory. This extraordinary feat places him alongside national record-holder Patrick Johnson, who achieved the sub-10 second milestone back in 2003 with a time of 9.93 seconds in Mito, Japan.
'Hopefully that's just the standard now, hey?' Kennedy remarked following his historic win. 'I needed the win. I needed to be national champ. I needed to say I had it.'
Josh Azzopardi finished second with a time of 10.16 seconds, while last year's champion Rohan Browning trailed by just 0.03 seconds to claim third place. Kennedy's electrifying performance has now cast doubt over his participation in the 200m event at the national championships, where he was scheduled to face his friend and rival, Queensland's Gout Gout.
Future Ambitions and Commonwealth Games Aspirations
Kennedy, who recently pipped Gout to complete a 100m-200m double for the second consecutive year at last month's Maurie Plant Meet, remained non-committal about his 200m plans. 'I can't give you a 100 per cent yes or no,' he stated. 'We'll see how the body pulls up.'
Despite ignoring distracting fireworks from the nearby Sydney Easter Show to deliver his sizzling run, Kennedy expressed confidence that there was no ceiling to his potential. The Queensland sprinter has set an ambitious target of reducing his time to 9.8 seconds this year as he pursues gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
'I want to be a two-time national champ next year, three times, as long as I can,' Kennedy declared. 'I was gassed a little bit after the semi, but the fact I was able to come out after that and run that time just shows I've got so many more things to work on. Yeah, sky's the limit.'
Controversy and Triumph in Middle-Distance Events
Meanwhile, newly-crowned 1500m champion Claudia Hollingsworth appears poised to claim the 800m title after middle-distance star Jessica Hull withdrew from Saturday's heats due to soreness. Hull had been positioned to secure her fourth consecutive national 1500m crown on Friday before falling during the final straight following a challenge from Hollingsworth.
Hollingsworth crossed the finish line first in 4:17.06 but was initially disqualified after two separate protests. The 20-year-old was later reinstated as the race winner on Saturday following a successful appeal, before proceeding to win her 800m heat in 2:03.18.
Hull still intends to compete in the 5000m event on Sunday, having originally aimed for an unprecedented middle-distance treble. Athletics Australia denied a request for a rerun of the 1500m, stating it was not feasible to restage the race in Sydney. Given that the championships also serve as qualifiers for this year's Commonwealth Games, the status of the 1500m as a selection race is currently under review.
'I haven't contacted Jess. There's no bad blood from my end, and I'm sure there's not from her,' Hollingsworth commented on Saturday. 'We're both mature athletes, and we both want the best for each other.'
Additional Championship Highlights
In other notable results from the national championships:
- Olympic champion Nina Kennedy dominated the women's pole vault, clearing 4.65m to secure her fifth national title following an injury-disrupted 2025 season.
- Peter Bol clocked 1:48.98 to comfortably advance to the men's 800m final.
- Peyton Craig missed out on a spot in the final after a diving finish from Degras Amekata relegated the Paris Olympian to third place in his heat.
The national championships continue to showcase Australia's top athletic talent as athletes vie for selection and prepare for international competitions including the Commonwealth Games.
