Written by RT Juneau
Sometimes, lightning actually strikes twice.
Less than 24 hours after becoming the first Australian to break the 10-second barrier on home soil, Lachlan Kennedy extended the mark by another 9.96 seconds to claim his maiden national title in the 100m at the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney on 11 April.
The Paris 2024 Olympian matched his historic performance in the heat from the night before, this time turning it into a championship win, underscoring his dominance at the top level of Australian track and field.
Oceania champion Joshua Azzopardi of NSW was second in 10.16 seconds, while national champion Rohan Browning – who beat Kennedy in last year’s championships – finished third in a season’s best time of 10.19 seconds. The result represents a clear shift in the hierarchy of Australian speed racing, with Kennedy now firmly in control.
The win completes a remarkable comeback for the Queensland runner. And on Friday night, he made history by clocking 9.96 seconds in qualifying, the first performance ever clocked under 10 seconds on Australian soil. Twenty-four hours later, he did it again in the final. Two sub-10 second runs in two days, in the same meet, on home soil. It’s the kind of sequence that announces the arrival of a runner not just as a talent, but as a power.
Kennedy, whose personal best of 9.96 – which has now been set twice – is building a profile that has excited the Australian athletics community far beyond the immediate moment. With the Olympics coming to Brisbane in 2032, he will be 28 and perhaps at the peak of his abilities. The national record of 9.93, held by Patrick Johnson since 2003, is still in his sights.
Final results of the men’s 100 meter race
- 1st – Lachlan Kennedy (Queensland) – 9.96 (CR, =PB)
- 2nd – Joshua Azzopardi (NSW) – 10.16
- 3rd – Rohan Browning (NSW) – 10.19 (SB)
