‘Incredible Upset’: Lachlan Kennedy Surprises Gout Gout in Melbourne Showdown

While Gout Gout may capture headlines as one of Australia’s standout emerging male sprinters, Lachlan Kennedy surprised many with a stunning victory at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on Saturday night.

The 21-year-old Kennedy is known for his speed in the 100m and 60m events, having clinched a silver medal in the latter at last week’s World Athletics Indoor Championships. However, on Saturday night, he took on the 17-year-old Gout in his favoured distance of 200m, emerging victorious at Lakeside Stadium.

Kennedy finished the race in a swift 20.26 seconds, edging out Gout, who clocked 20.30 for second place, while 21-year-old Calab Law came in third at 20.78 seconds.

Kennedy launched off the blocks like a bullet, building a solid lead over Gout as they rounded the bend.

True to form, Gout unleashed a blistering final 100m, momentarily raising the hopes of his fans for a dramatic comeback.

In a nail-biting finish, both Kennedy and Gout lunged for the line, with Kennedy securing the victory by a mere four hundredths of a second.

With an enthusiastic crowd of around 10,000 gathered at Albert Park to witness Gout — who famously broke Peter Norman’s long-standing Australian open 200m record from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics back in December — Kennedy stole the spotlight this time around.

“I’m feeling absolutely spent, as you can see,” Kennedy remarked after the race during an interview with Seven.

“I don’t often compete in 200m races. This is a different distance for me.”

“But I’m just thrilled to be here. The state of Australian sprinting is incredible right now. The depth of talent is remarkable, with strong competitors everywhere you look. Gout has certainly spearheaded this movement; he’s a legend who’s bound to achieve great things in his career. It’s truly an honour to be part of this fantastic group.”

“What an exhilarating race! My objective was to start strong and I was simply trying to fend him off. Luck was on my side today.”

Saturday’s race marked Gout’s return since he made history by running the first-ever sub-20-second 200m by an Australian, although that achievement was overshadowed by illegal conditions.

“People often say that winning feels fantastic, while coming second is disappointing and third is the worst; finishing second only fuels my drive even more,” Gout said.

“The atmosphere was insane out there. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop, then all of a sudden everyone was shouting my name. This is something few people get to experience. I’m taking it one step at a time and cherishing the moment.”

Prior to Saturday, Kennedy’s fastest 200m was 20.93 seconds, recorded in 2023 under a +1.7 m/s tailwind. At the Maurie Plant Meet, he shattered his personal best, achieving it with a tailwind of just +0.4 m/s.

Moreover, he recorded this impressive feat despite competing in the 100m earlier that evening, where he also triumphed, clocking 10.17 seconds against a challenging -1.1 m/s headwind.

Sebastian Sultana, the reigning national champion in the 100m, finished closely in second place with a time of 10.29 seconds, while Rohan Browning, who notably reached the semi-finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, came in third at 10.30 seconds.

Lakeside Stadium also showcased 18-year-old middle-distance talent Cameron Myers, who executed a commanding front-running strategy to win the men’s 1500m, which was named in honour of John Landy, with an impressive time of 3:34.98.

Paris Olympian Adam Spencer trailed in second at 3:35.52, while Jude Thomas and Commonwealth Games champion Oliver Hoare tied for third at 3:36.48.

15-year-old Kiwi sensation Sam Ruthe, who recently became the youngest athlete to run a sub-four-minute mile, finished seventh in 3:40.12, shattering the existing world age-15 record, which he held.

Rising star Claudia Hollingsworth, 19, took charge on the home straight of the women’s 1500m, clinching the victory with a meet-record time of 4:05.97.

Among the competitors at Lakeside Stadium was Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, an Olympic gold medallist who made headlines last year when he upset US sprinter Noah Lyles to win the men’s 200m at the Paris Games. Although he didn’t compete in his signature event, he ran the 400m and finished second, with Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori taking the win in 45.14 seconds, while Tebogo clocked in at 45.26 seconds, and Leungo Scotch from Botswana finished at 45.60 seconds.

Matt Denny, who won a bronze medal in Paris 2024, triumphed in the men’s discus event with an impressive throw of 68.17 metres, just shy of breaking his national record by 1.18 centimetres.