‘I can win’: Kennedy sprints into another Games final
Shayne Hope |
Australian stars Lachie Kennedy and Torrie Lewis are dreaming of multiple individual Commonwealth Games medals in Glasgow after the red-hot sprinters surged into their respective 200m finals.
Kennedy set a national 100m record while claiming men’s silver at Scotstoun Stadium and Lewis lowered her own record when she took women’s bronze in the same event.
Both have backed up with strong 200m performances.
Kennedy ran 20.12 seconds in the outside lane, finishing third in his heat and missing an automatic qualifying spot.
But the 22-year-old was also one of the two fastest losers – and third-fastest across all heats – which was enough to progress to the final.
Fellow Australian men Calab Law (20.60) and Aidan Murphy (20.70) didn’t fare so well, eliminated in their semi-finals.
South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile (19.82) and Canada’s Aaron Brown (19.90), who finished first and second in Kennedy’s heat, were the only semi-final runners under 20 seconds.
Before the Games, Kennedy declared the 100m was his majority priority, freely admitting he is “not as invested” in his other sprint events.
But the man who won Australia’s first Commonwealth men’s sprint medal since 1962 is now eyeing more hardware with a 200m final and 4x100m relay ahead on the program.
“It all depends on the conditions, but I definitely think I can win. That’s for sure,” Kennedy said.
“I don’t know about times. Like, time is so dependent on conditions, but I think I’ve got what it takes to win.
“But there’s some good guys up there, man. So I’m gonna have to be at my best.”
Kennedy’s heat was run in a +2.3m/s wind, which he felt was the only reason his personal best (20.26) out of reach.
“Proper headwind at the start,” he said.
“Felt real rough coming out those blocks, but just tried to come up, get into my running and just try hold on.
“If the wind was a bit less strong, probably would have been a PB.
“So hopefully, if I get a legal wind tomorrow, it should be a PB. We’ll just see how we go.”
Lewis qualified automatically for the women’s final in a dead-heat with Jamaica’s Alana Reid, running 20.64 (+4.7m/s) in windy conditions.
The pair were involved in a three-way photo finish with England’s Success Eduan, who qualified as one of the two fastest losers.
Fellow Australians Monique Hanlon and Mia Gross did not progress.
Only two qualifiers ran faster than Lewis, who is showing no signs of the Achilles injury that had troubled her before the Games.
“I’m in the final so anything can happen,” Lewis said.
“I knew it was going to be a really fast heat, like with the girls I had inside of me.
“So I always knew it was going to go down to the line, and I’m just glad I got the dip.”
AAP