Six years ago Lachlan Kennedy was a rugby winger who’d never run a proper race. Now he’s the fastest Australian in history: 9.85 seconds for 100m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and he did it while managing type 1 diabetes.
Here’s who he is, how old he is, his personal bests, his 2026 season race by race, and what’s behind the speed.
- Born: 4 November 2003 (age 23)
- From: Brisbane
- Event: 100m, 60m indoors, 200m and the 4x100m relay
- 100m best: 9.85, the Australian and Oceania record (Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, 28 July 2026)
- 60m best: 6.43, Australian record (Canberra, 25 January 2025)
- Coach: Andrew Iselin
- Height: not published by World Athletics or Athletics Australia
- Instagram: @_lachiekennedy_ (31K followers)
A post shared by Lachie Kennedy (@_lachiekennedy_)
Who is Lachlan Kennedy?
An Australian sprinter, and since July 2026 the fastest man the country has produced. He played rugby union on the wing for about a decade and reached junior representative level, according to his Athletics Australia profile. His first race came in 2020, when a school footy coach asked him to run the 4x100m relay.
Two years later he ran for Australia at the World Under-20 Championships. He ran the first leg of the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and in March 2025 he won 60m silver at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. He also studies engineering alongside his training (University of Queensland).
How old is Lachlan Kennedy?
23. He was born on 4 November 2003 (World Athletics), so he was 22 when he set the Australian record.
How tall is Lachlan Kennedy?
His height isn’t published by World Athletics or Athletics Australia, and we couldn’t find a reliable figure anywhere else, so we won’t guess. What is measured is his stride: a coach’s video count of the Glasgow final had him taking about 48 steps to cover 100m, five more than the winner. Here’s why his 48-step 100m matters.
Lachlan Kennedy’s personal bests
| Event (where, when) | Time |
|---|---|
| 100m (Glasgow, 28 Jul 2026) | 9.85 AR |
| 60m indoors (Canberra, 25 Jan 2025) | 6.43 AR |
| 200m (Maurie Plant Meet, Mar 2025) | 20.26 |
| 4x100m relay (2025 and 2026) | 37.87 AR |
The 9.85 in Glasgow
Kennedy won 100m silver at the Commonwealth Games on 28 July 2026 in 9.85, two-hundredths behind Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme. It broke Patrick Johnson’s Australian record of 9.93, which had stood for 23 years, and it was Australia’s first Commonwealth Games medal in the men’s 100m for 64 years (World Athletics). Days later he ran the first leg as Australia won the men’s 4x100m relay.
A post shared by Lachie Kennedy (@_lachiekennedy_)
His 2026 season, race by race
2025 ended early: an injury ruled him out of the World Championships in Tokyo. He came back in 2026 and ran five sub-10-second races.
| Race | 100m result |
|---|---|
| Australian Championships, Sydney (Apr) | 1st, 9.96 |
| Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (28 Jul) | 2nd, 9.85 AR |
| Diamond League Final, Brussels (Sep) | 4th, 9.99 |
| Ultimate Championship, Budapest (12 Sep) | 5th in semi, 10.05 |
Brussels was close: he missed the podium by two-hundredths, in a race won by world champion Oblique Seville in 9.90. Budapest was the low point. He was left in the blocks in his semi-final and missed the final by 0.02 seconds. He signed off the season on Instagram with “2027 🆙” (the post at the top of this page).
Sprinting with type 1 diabetes
Kennedy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 15. He races with a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump, and travels with backup insulin pens and test strips (Diabetes Australia). When his last sensor failed two days before a Diamond League race in the US in 2025, he went back to finger-prick tests. In April 2026 he became an ambassador for Diabetes Australia’s Blue Circle Collective.
What makes him fast
Leg speed. Most elite sprinters win with long strides. Kennedy wins with turnover: about 4.87 steps a second in the Glasgow final against Eseme’s 4.37, by one coach’s count. Our read: a rugby winger’s footwork, sharpened by a sprint coach, is a different route to the same place, and nobody should try to copy it without the base underneath. The full breakdown, plus a speed session for normal blokes, is in our 48-step analysis.
Want to know how human speed stacks up? Are you as fit as a racehorse? and the robot that beat Usain Bolt have the comparisons. For a sprint test you can try, the Eagles’ 11x200m test will humble you.
Lachlan Kennedy FAQ
What is Lachlan Kennedy’s 100m PB?
9.85 seconds, set at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 28 July 2026. It’s the Australian and Oceania record.
Is Lachlan Kennedy the fastest Australian ever?
Over 100m, yes. His 9.85 beat Patrick Johnson’s 9.93 from 2003.
Who coaches Lachlan Kennedy?
Andrew Iselin.
Does Lachlan Kennedy have diabetes?
Yes, type 1. He was diagnosed at 15 and races with a glucose monitor and an insulin pump.
Did Lachlan Kennedy play rugby?
Yes, rugby union on the wing for about ten years, before his first athletics race in 2020.
