1 month ago
Teenage sprint arena Gout Gout looks a near-certainty for his 2nd nationalist 200m title aft rival and recently crowned 100m champion Lachie Kennedy pulled retired of nan highly anticipated race.
Gout sailed done his power connected Sunday greeting successful a clip of 20.11sec pinch a tailwind of +0.4m/s, almost half a 2nd faster than immoderate different qualifier.
The last will beryllium held connected Sunday afternoon, but without a showdown betwixt Gout and Kennedy.
The 22-year-old pulled retired of nan 200m arena connected Sunday morning, hours earlier he was owed to compete.
The move robs thousands of fans expected to be Sydney Olympic Park of a rematch betwixt nan Queenslander and Gout Gout, aft Kennedy won their 2nd duel astatine nan Maurie Plant Meet past month.
Kennedy told journalists aft winning nan 100m connected Saturday night that he was not judge whether he could backmost up for nan 200m.
“Wait and see. See really that assemblage pulls up. Listen to nan experts, physios and each that, but yeah, we’ll see,” he said.
Australian Athletics confirmed Kennedy would not compete anterior to title starting connected Sunday.
Kennedy’s guidance said his withdrawal was precautionary, fixed it’s only his 3rd title of nan year, arsenic he prepares for a agelong play that will see nan World Relays Championship adjacent month, nan Diamond League play and nan Commonwealth Games successful July.
The rematch was group to beryllium one of nan highlights of these nationalist championships. Kennedy, speaking connected Saturday, acknowledged nan fans’ expectation.
“I don’t want to committedness thing and past not deliver, but I mean, we’ll spot really it goes, conscionable spot really nan assemblage pulls up.
“Either measurement it’ll beryllium bully [competition] tomorrow whether I’m location aliases not.”
Kennedy backed up for nan 200m astatine past year’s nationalist titles, but was disqualified earlier nan last successful which Gout secured his first nationalist title.
A accent fracture successful his backmost forced Kennedy to miss past year’s World Championships, and he has been vocal this twelvemonth astir nan request to springiness his assemblage clip to recover.
Gout is nan clear favourite for nan 200m connected nan last time of nan championships, but breezy conditions will make it difficult for him to go nan first Australian to break nan 20s barrier. His individual champion is 20.02sec.
The 2nd fastest qualifier was Aidan Murphy, who ran 20.57sec, while 3rd was Kennedy’s training-mate Calab Law who clocked 20.83sec.
The 800m finals, featuring Claudia Hollingsworth and Peter Bol, are besides connected Sunday. Kurtis Marschall is successful action successful nan men’s rod vault, and Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson will compete for nan women’s precocious jump.
