Lachlan Kennedy

After playing rugby for a decade, and reaching junior representative level, Lachlan Kennedy switched to athletics and within two years would represent Australia at the World U20 Championships in 2022. Over the next couple of years he slashed his 100m and 200m best.

“Throughout all my younger years athletics was never my main thing, I was always faster than most but never thought anything of it. This was until my footy coach in 2020 (year 11) told me to run in the 4x100m relay for my school as he believed I was well and truly fast enough.”

In a $20 pair of spikes and after turning up 30 minutes late on trial day, Lachlan ended up the fastest student at his school with 11.6 on a grass track.

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 team mate also selected to the 2022 World U20 Championships team (Jai would eventually withdraw with injury).

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.

“This was a shock to everyone including myself as I had not run anything close to that ever and from there after what was most likely my final footy season ended.”

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 Australia was at an absolute high in the junior ranks.

“I always preferred team sports but something about how competitive of an age group this one is with so many fast blokes we have all pushed each other to run faster and it's honestly pretty hectic and safe to say they better be on the lookout for team Australia in the 4 x 100m.”

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 in the 200m.

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, he ran first leg on the Australian relay team which broke the 12-year-old Australian U20 4x100m relay record, clocking a time of 39.30.

At the world juniors, unfortunately the relay team dropped the baton. Over the next two years he reduced his 100m and 200m Pbs to 10.24 and 10.93 respectively.

Lachlan faces a daily medical challenge but is determined to prove it won’t stop him achieving his goals. He spoke about it in 2022.

“In 2018 I was medically diagnosed with type one diabetes, basically just making everything I do much harder, whether that was eating, doing sport, sleeping, anything I always had to monitor my condition. And I still do. I have just gotten a lot better at it and I now have better control over levels and stuff than ever. But with the help of my super coach, Russ and just pure drive to prove that this condition won’t stop me in doing the best I can and become one of the many athletes with this condition and make it to the Olympics and show people that truly anything is possible if you really want it and you have the drive to push yourself and surpass both your physical and mental limits.”