Record falls as Aussie jets power into 100m finals
Shayne Hope |
Australia will have two men in the Commonwealth Games 100m final for the first time in 44 years after Lachie Kennedy and Eddie Nketia both set personal bests in their semi-finals.
Torrie Lewis also broke new ground in advancing to the women’s final as the fastest qualifier in miserable conditions at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium.
A week after setting the national record at 11.04 seconds, Lewis went even quicker with a time of 11.00.
Kennedy ran a blistering 9.94 – just one one-hundredth of a second behind Patrick Johnson’s long-standing national record.
Johnson set his mark in May 2003 – several months before Kennedy was born.
Kennedy, whose previous best was 9.96 at this year’s national championships, took the second qualifying spot in his heat behind Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (9.89), who was the fastest qualifier.
Kennedy was one of seven men placed directly into the semi-finals under the unusual Games format and justified his progression with the scintillating performance.
Fellow Australian Nketia (10.03) also ran a personal best time and got through, continuing a strong debut event in green and gold for the former Kiwi.
It means Kennedy and Nketia will be the first Australian pair in the men’s Commonwealth Games final since Paul Narracott and Gerrard Keating in 1982.
Nketia and Rohan Browning both had to qualify through the heats.
Browning went out despite running a season-best 10.14.
“It was my best this year and I’m happy with that,” Browning said.
“When I’m at my best I’m definitely better than that but ultimately I just wanted to prove that I could put my best race of the year together at the championship.
“I came out here totally at peace that whatever was going to happen was going to happen.”
AAP