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An Australian team including sub 10-second man Lachlan Kennedy have equalled the national 4x100m record on a big day one for the green and gold contingent at the World Athletics Relays in Botswana.
Kennedy, Joshua Azzopardi, Christopher Ius and evergreen anchor leg runner Rohan Browning stopped the clock at 37.87sec – good enough for third spot in the heat and a berth in the final on Sunday (Monday AEST).
“I think we’ll go really well tomorrow. That’s just the standard now that we want to be competing for medals each year, and I think that tomorrow we can all go a little bit faster,” Kennedy said.
“We have a real red-hot chance, but we have to back it up. Rohan man, he’s still got it.”
Kennedy, Azzopardi and Ius – along with Calab Law – clocked the same time at last year’s Sydney Track Classic.
The result in Botswana also guaranteed Australia a spot in the men’s 4x100m at next year’s athletics world championships in Beijing, by which time Gout Gout and Eddie Nketia could also be in the frame.
Two other Australian records were beaten on day one in Gaborone.
The 4x400m quartet of Luke van Ratingen, Reece Holder, Matthew Hunt and Aidan Murphy clocked a flying time of 2min 57.30sec to set a new national record and move to seventh spot on the all-time list.
The previous Australian record of 2min 59.70sec had stood since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Everyone is feeling unreal. The team is strong and the time has always been there, it’s just been about getting the race done,” Holder said.
“We’re still a young team and we have many years to come, so we’ll just be lowering that time down.
“All I can say right now is – we’re hot.”
Cooper Sherman, Ellie Beer, Thomas Reynolds and Mia Gross lowered the Australian mixed 4x400m relay record to 3min 12.20sec.
Australia’s 4x100m women team headed by Torrie Lewis were disqualified for an illegal change in the heats but will return on Sunday for another shot at qualifying for the 2027 world championships.
