Australian sprinter Lachie Kennedy shattered the national 100m record with a time of 9.85 seconds, winning silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and ending Australia's 64-year wait for a medal in the event. The 22-year-old Queenslander edged past Patrick Johnson's long-standing mark of 9.93 seconds set in 2003, with a legal tailwind of 1.3m/s.
Historic day for Australian sprinting
Kennedy's achievement was part of an extraordinary hour for Australian athletics, as Torrie Lewis also broke the women's 100m national record with a 10.99-second run to win bronze. It was the first time an Australian woman went under 11 seconds. Lewis became the first Australian to medal in the women's 100m since Tania Van Heer in 1998.
“9.85 is crazy. Like, that's nuts,” Kennedy told Channel Seven. “I don't plan on slowing down. I feel it's going to be pretty hard to run that fast again but I'm happy now. I'm happy to be able to say I've run that, got that Australian record finally. It was about time.”
Race details and competition
Kennedy finished just two hundredths of a second behind Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme, who won gold. He held the lead briefly before Eseme edged ahead at the line. “I thought I won,” Kennedy said. “Old mate must have come flying through on the inside, he must have brought it home strong. But I mean, man, I can't complain.”
The bronze medallist was Nigeria's Kanyinsola Ajayi, who has beaten reigning world champion Oblique Seville twice in recent Diamond League meets. Kennedy also outperformed Welshman Jeremiah Azu, who had beaten him for world indoor gold over 60m in 2024.
Overcoming injury and building momentum
Kennedy missed the 2024 outdoor world championships due to a stress fracture in his back but returned to win his first national title in Sydney in April. Known for his fast start, he demonstrated improved strength through the latter stages of the race. Both Kennedy and Lewis had run personal bests in the semi-finals — 9.94 seconds and 11.00 seconds respectively.
“That definitely wasn't a perfect race. I know I've got so much more in the tank,” Kennedy said. “But I mean, for now I'm going to celebrate. For now I'm going to be happy.”
Broader Australian success
The sprinting triumphs were complemented by other Australian medals. Rose Davies won gold in the women's 10,000m, and Ky Robinson secured Australia's first men's 10,000m gold since 1958. In the women's high jump, Eleanor Patterson cleared 1.96m to beat Nicola Olyslagers for gold, and Lara Roberts took bronze in the hammer.
Eddie Nketia, who changed allegiance from New Zealand, ran 10.06 seconds to finish sixth in the men's 100m final. Teenage prodigy Gout Gout, with a personal best of 10.00 seconds, watched from home as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Lewis's journey and future prospects
Lewis, 21, first set the national record of 11.10 seconds as a 19-year-old in 2024. She moved to the Netherlands to train with Laurent Meuwly, coach of Femke Bol, and has found another level. “Number one, I wanted a move for my life, I've always liked to travel,” Lewis said. “And two, I just wanted to put it all on the line. I want to do this for my career. I want to be the best I can. I want to move to the best coach I can find, with the best group I can find and that's what I did and it's finally paying off.”
Both Kennedy and Lewis, aged 22 and 21 respectively, are poised to be consistent contenders in global finals leading up to the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
