Lachlan Kennedy (born 4 November 2003) is an Australian sprinter. He competed at the 2024 Olympic Games. In 2025, he became Australian short track champion and set a new national record, and won the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships, over 60 metres.[1]
Kennedy grew up in Brisbane where he attended St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace throughout his upbringing.[2] He played for Brisbane junior rugby union representative sides and played junior international rugby union for Australia before switching his focus to athletics.[3][4]
Kennedy was a member of the Australian U20 4 x 100 metres relay team which broke the 12-year-old Australian U20 4 × 100 m relay record in 2022 in a time of 39.30 seconds. He represented Australia at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.[3] In November 2023, he won the silver medal over 100 metres at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara behind compatriot Calab Law.[5][6]
Kennedy was a member of Australia's 4x100-metre men's relay team that set a new Oceania record of 38.12 seconds at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.[7]
On 25 January 2025, in Canberra, he equalled the Australian record for 60 metres running a time of 6.52 seconds, and then, later in the day, ran 6.43 seconds (+1.6) to set new senior Australian and Oceania records and equal the tenth fastest recorded time ever.[8][9] On 26 January 2025 Kennedy set a new 100m PB with 10.17 s running into a -1.0 m/s wind.[10] At the Australian short-track championships, held in Sydney in February 2025, Kennedy won the 60 metres with a time of 6.51 seconds.[11] On 1 March 2025, he ran 10.03 seconds (+1.1) to win the Perth Classic 100m, moving to equal third on the Australian all-time list alongside Matt Shirvington.[12]
He represented Australia in the 60 metres event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships held on 21 March in Nanjing, China. He qualified for the semi-finals with a run of 6.52 seconds.[13][14] After qualifying for the final, he ran 6.50 seconds to win the silver medal, one hundredth of a second behind the winner, Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain.[15][16]
He won the 200 metres race at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on 29 March 2025 ahead of compatriot Gout Gout, running a personal best 20.26 seconds.[17] He lowered his personal best to 10.00 seconds for the 100 metres during the heats of the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth on 11 April 2025.[18] He finished runner-up in the final in a time of 10.01 seconds, five thousandths of a second behind winner Rohan Browning, who was also credited with 10.01.[19] He finished fifth in the 100 metres in 10.18 seconds at the 2025 Xiamen Diamond League event in China, in April 2025.[20] He competed for Australia at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China, helping the Australian men's 4 × 100 m team qualify for the 2025 World Championships.[21] He ran a new personal best of 9.98 seconds to win the 100 metres at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi on 31 May 2025.[22]
In 2018, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He attended the University of Queensland to study Engineering and Design.[3][23]
