![]() |
|
![]() |
BIOGRAPHYAfter playing rugby for a decade, including at a junior representative level, less than two years after his first athletics race, Lachlan Kennedy has become one of Australia’s fastest junior sprinters. In April he was named in the Australian relay squad for the World U20 Championships. In June, in one of their first races together the 4x100m relay team broke the Australian record. It looked like a major shift was imminent for Lachlan who had played rugby union from an early age. He loved the freedom and potential it provided, a huge open field with tons of space to run. He played on the wing from under-6s to 15s, making various Brisbane junior rugby union representative sides. Now involved with athletics alongside his rugby, in his last year at school, still learning to use starting blocks, and on a weeks’ worth of training, he represented his school placing third in the 100m with 11.4. The winner was Jai Gordon, a now team mate on his 2022 World U20 Championships team. In 2021, his last year at school, he was under the guidance of astute athletics coach Russel Hansen. On just one year of athletics training of 2 sessions/week, 2-3 footy training sessions/week, a game and gym work, by September 2021 he clocked a stunning 100m time of 10.51. It was a hectic year for Lachlan, committing to Year 12 house captain, schoolwork, full time training and competition in rugby and athletics. “It was stressful to say the least.” In any other year 10.51 would easily land an athlete in the 100m for the World Junior team, but the event in Australian was at an absolute high in the junior ranks. He raced regularly over the summer of 2021/22, bringing his 200m best down to 21.16. At the Australian U20 Championships and World Junior trials unfortunately he slipped at the start of the 100m final, placing last, but managed a terrific fourth. The selectors had seen his great summer of racing and named him in the 4x100m relay for the World U20 Championships. In June on the Gold Coast, at a camp for the team, his Australian relay team, broke the 12-year-old Australian U20 4x100m relay record, clocking a time of 39.30. Lachlan faces a daily medical challenge, but is determined to prove it won’t stop him achieving his goals. Education: first year University of Queensland, Bachelor of Engineering and Design… @19 July 2022 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au
|