Gout Gout sails into 200m final after Lachlan Kennedy pulls out of nationals showdown

Teenage sprint phenomenon Gout Gout looks a near-certainty for his second national 200m title after rival and newly crowned 100m champion Lachie Kennedy pulled out of the highly anticipated race.

Gout sailed through his heat on Sunday morning in a time of 20.11sec with a tailwind of +0.4m/s, almost half a second faster than any other qualifier.

The final will be held on Sunday afternoon, but without a showdown between Gout and Kennedy.

The 22-year-old pulled out of the 200m event on Sunday morning, hours before he was due to compete.

The move robs thousands of fans expected to attend Sydney Olympic Park of a rematch between the Queenslander and Gout Gout, after Kennedy won their second duel at the Maurie Plant Meet last month.

Kennedy told journalists after winning the 100m on Saturday night that he was not sure whether he could back up for the 200m.

“Wait and see. See how that body pulls up. Listen to the experts, physios and all that, but yeah, we’ll see,” he said.

Australian Athletics confirmed Kennedy would not compete prior to competition starting on Sunday.

Kennedy’s management said his withdrawal was precautionary, given it’s only his third competition of the year, as he prepares for a long season that will include the World Relays Championship next month, the Diamond League season and the Commonwealth Games in July.

The rematch was set to be one of the highlights of these national championships. Kennedy, speaking on Saturday, acknowledged the fans’ expectation.

“I don’t want to promise anything and then not deliver, but I mean, we’ll see how it goes, just see how the body pulls up.

“Either way it’ll be good [competition] tomorrow whether I’m there or not.”

Kennedy backed up for the 200m at last year’s national titles, but was disqualified before the final in which Gout secured his first national title.

A stress fracture in his back forced Kennedy to miss last year’s World Championships, and he has been vocal this year about the need to give his body time to recover.

Gout is the clear favourite for the 200m on the final day of the championships, but breezy conditions will make it difficult for him to become the first Australian to break the 20s barrier. His personal best is 20.02sec.

The second fastest qualifier was Aidan Murphy, who ran 20.57sec, while third was Kennedy’s training-mate Calab Law who clocked 20.83sec.

The 800m finals, featuring Claudia Hollingsworth and Peter Bol, are also on Sunday. Kurtis Marschall is in action in the men’s pole vault, and Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson will compete for the women’s high jump.