Australian sprint sensation Lachlan Kennedy today confirmed he will not contest this year’s World Championships in Tokyo. Instead, he’s been sidelined by a seemingly chronic back injury. Since June, the 21-year-old sportswoman has been doing just that. He took the world by storm during the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, clocking an astounding time of 9.98 seconds. With that run, he became the first Australian to run a legal sub-10 second 100m since Patrick Johnson’s in 2003.
The situation with Kennedy’s back injury has taken a turn for the worse. Accordingly, he has made the very difficult decision to withdraw from the much-awaited program. “It’s with a heavy heart I have to announce that I will not be competing at this year’s world championships in Tokyo due to a progressing injury,” Kennedy stated.
His remarkable performance in June placed him in the history books alongside Patrick Johnson and marked a significant milestone in his burgeoning career. A week later at the Kip Keino Classic, Kennedy was jumping for joy—the kind you do when you’ve just run the best race of your life. He won against stiff competition from Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi, and Ferdinand Omanyala, the 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m champion.
Since that extraordinary accomplishment, Kennedy has only run in one race. He ended up running 10.07 seconds at that Diamond League meet in Oregon July 5. The continuing issues with his back have ultimately made it difficult for him to continue competing, leading him to make recovery his focus.
Kennedy has cultivated a supportive budding rivalry with fellow Australian sprinters Gout Gout and Rohan Browning this summer. Collectively, they’re all competing to be the first to shatter the elusive 10 second barrier. Despite this disappointment, he is looking ahead with positive expectations for his future in the sport. With immense gratitude for the year and all of the support I’ve received, I wouldn’t change a thing. I plan to use this time to heal, grow and return stronger than ever,” he said.
His coach, Nic Bideau, was clear about the need to err on the side of caution when it comes to Kennedy’s health. “Lachie was never going to go over to Tokyo just to pick up a tracksuit,” Bideau remarked. In closing, he underscored the point that Kennedy has shown himself capable of playing with the best of the best. This is unsurprisingly evidenced by his world indoor 60m silver medal performance.
Beyond this, Kennedy’s only major competition will be the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year. With three crucial years leading up to the Los Angeles Olympics, both he and his team are committed to ensuring his readiness without taking unnecessary risks.
