Paris Olympians Lachlan Kennedy and Liam Adcock have rocketed to third and fifth on the Australian all-time list at the Perth Track Classic.
Cover image by Andrew Hilditch courtesy of Athletics Australia. Other photos by Ben Levy.
Kennedy took out the 100m in 10.03 seconds (+1.1 m/s) while Adcock leapt to 8.33m (+1.8 m/s) on a warm Perth afternoon. The latter was a qualifying performance for both the World Indoor Championships later this month, as well as the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
“I know I can go faster if I can nail that start, and if I can do that with the last 40m I just ran there, we’re cookin’.”Lachlan Kennedy
Kennedy led home a deep field with personal bests recorded by Joshua Azzopardi (10.09) and national champion Sebastian Sultana (10.11) in the minor places to move to sixth and eighth respectively on the Australian all-time list.
“It felt so good to run that fast but I actually missed the start a bit,” Kennedy said.
“I didn’t get my normal burst, so to be able to nail the last 40m, which is something I really wanted to work on – it’s a big sigh of relief.
“I know I can go faster if I can nail that start, and if I can do that with the last 40m I just ran there, we’re cookin’.”
Australian All-Time List – 100m
At 1 March 2025
1 9.93 Patrick Johnson Mito 2003 2 10.01 Rohan Browning Tokyo 2021 =3 10.03 Matt Shirvington Kaula Lumpur 1998 =3 10.03 Lachlan Kennedy Perth 2025 5 10.08 Joshua Ross Brisbane 2007 6 10.09 Joshua Azzopardi Perth 2025 7 10.10 Trae Williams Gold Coast 2018 8 10.11 Sebastian Sultana Perth 2025 9 10.12 Jack Hale Perth 2020 10 10.13 Damien Marsh Monte Carlo 1995
Adcock, who was unwell leading into the meet, was head over heels at improving his personal best from 8.15m on three occasions with jumps of 8.18m, 8.25m and finally, 8.33m.
The 28-year-old had shown a glimpse of the form to come last month in Auckland when he leapt to a wind-assisted 8.21m (+2.5 m/s).
“I didn’t think I had it in me tonight. I’ve had a pretty rough couple of weeks. After jumping in Auckland, I had this flu and I’m still sick, and I’ve had nerve irritation so I’ve had to jump through the pain. I’m going to feel it tomorrow, that’s for sure,” Adcock said.
Australian All-Time List – Long Jump
At 1 March 2025
1 8.54m Mitchell Watt Stockholm 2011 2 8.49m Jai Taurima Sydney 2000 3 8.40m Fabrice Lapierre Nuoro 2010 4 8.34m Henry Frayne Gold Coast 2018 =5 8.33m Chris Noffke Perth 2010 =5 8.33m Liam Adcock Perth 2025 7 8.32m Christopher Mitrevski Adelaide 2024 8 8.30m Peter Burge Melbourne 2000 9 8.27m Gary Honey Budapest 1984 10 8.24m Shane Hair Seville 1999
Bree Rizzo’s (nee Masters) plans were thwarted by an illegal tailwind but was nonetheless impressive in taking out the women’s 100m in 11.09 seconds (+3.0 m/s) ahead of Mia Gross (11.20) and Stawell Gift winner Chloe Mannix-Power (11.30).
“Coming in today, I was hunting down an 11.1 legal and I think I would have been pretty close if it was a nice legal wind, but I’m so stoked with that,” Rizzo said.
“I haven’t run that fast ever so I think the main thing to take away is that my legs can move that fast so now we just need to make it happen in legal conditions.”
In the 400m national champion Cooper Sherman clocked a new personal best of 45.31 seconds to take victory from Japan’s Fuga Sato (45.56) and junior Terrell Thorne (45.90). Sherman had strong form coming into the meet, having clocked a 20.66 second personal best last weekend at the Victorian Championships.
In the field it was Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage with the highlight performance of the night, winning the javelin in a new meet record of 85.61m. In the women’s event Japan’s Sae Takemoto edged close to her personal best set last month, taking victory in 59.49m, while Mia Gordon had a breakthrough performance for second with a 59.17m throw, defeating more fancied domestic rivals Alexandra Roberts (55.97m) and two-time world champion Kelsey-Lee Roberts (55.20m).
Lakara Stallan took out the women’s 200m in a photo finish from world junior finalist Jessica Milat, with both awarded the time 22.97 seconds (+1.6), with Mia Gross just behind in 23.00 seconds. It was a personal best for Milat, while it was Stallan’s second time under 23 seconds following her 22.86s personal best in Canberra in January.
Ireland’s Sophie O’Sullivan set a new meet record of 4:06.74 in taking out the 1500m ahead of personal bests from Maudie Skyring (4:07.28) and Jaylah Hancock-Cameron (4:07.88).
In the men’s race former national champion Callum Davies took line honours in 3:40.77 from Japan’s Ryoji Tatezawa (3:40.87) and a personal best from Olympic 800m semi-finalist Peyton Craig (3:41.13) in his season opening race.
Misaka Morota took out the women’s pole vault in 4.35m on count back from Olivia Gross (a new PB), while Great Britain’s Charlie Myer won the men’s event in 5.55m from a new personal best of 5.45m to Dalton Di Medio.
In other events:
- Taryn Gollshewky won the discus in 58.31m
- Tomysha Clark won the long jump in a windy 6.17m
- Roman Anastasios defeated Australian record holder, Brandon Starc, on count back with a 2.18m clearance in the high jump
- Ellie Beer won the women’s 400m in 52.78 seconds
- Christopher Ius took out the men’s 200m in a windy 20.57 seconds
Photo Gallery
A gallery of photos from the meet available thanks to Ben Levy. Please tag @lightknife.jpg and @insideaths when you share on Instagram.
Free downloads with the code you receive when you subscribe to our newsletter.
