Lachlan Kennedy won 100m gold at the Kip Keino Classic with sub-10-second run

The Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy smashed the competition in 100m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi to win the gold with a great run of sub-10-seconds. The silver medallist at the World Indoor Championships won the title defeating young South African athlete Bayanda Walaza with a personal best of 9.98 sec.

His achievement was even more remarkable given the headwind of -0.7 m/s. Lachlan Kennedy is the first Australian to achieve the mark since Patrick Johnson’s record of 9.93 sec in 2003.

“The moment I saw 9.98, I was ecstatic, the feeling was unreal. I couldn’t believe it”, said Lachlan Kennedy, who set the world’s No 1 time for the season in the 60m in Canberra in January with a time of 6.45 sec.

Bayanda Walaza finished second in 10.03 sec ahead of home favourite Ferdinand Omanyala (10.07 sec).

In women’s 100m, Maia McCoy (Liberia) won the gold with 11.21 sec, while her compatior Destiny Smith-Barnett finished second with 11.29 sec. The bronze was for Bassant Hemida (Egypt) with 11.49 sec.

Meanwhile, Joseph Fahnbulleh (Liberia) triumphed in the men’s 200m in 20.40 sec, ahead of Shaun Maswanganyi (South Africa) and William Reais (Switzerland).