Australian Athletics Championships: Gout Gout and Lachie Kennedy tee up blockbuster 200m final in Perth

Gout Gout and Lachie Kennedy have teed up a titanic Australian Athletics Championships 200m final in Perth — with one half of the dynamic duo setting a championship record in the process.

The next chapter in the young sprint stars will unfold on Sunday afternoon at WA Athletics Stadium after the pair eased through their respective semifinals.

And it was Gout who has thrown the first punch in the pair’s shadowboxing after he took his foot off the pedal in the first heat and still managed to run a rapid 20.24.

Backed by a legal tailwind of +0.6, it was 0.2 seconds off the national record the 17 year-old set in December and was enough to clinch the championships record.

Kennedy had spoken pre-race about the prospect of only running the 200m heats, but he certainly looked as if he was saving himself for the final as he finished second in his heat.

Having established a grip on proceedings in the home straight, Kennedy recorded a slower time of 20.85, but also eased off and allowed Aidan Murphy to stream home for the win.

It sets the stage for a mouth-watering final and as Kennedy and Gout prepare to go toe-to-toe once more at 3pm WST.

Just last month, the duo duked it out in front of a sold-out crowd at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where 21 year-old Kennedy edged out Gout.

With an already full-to-capacity grandstand in Floreat, Kennedy will be eager for a repeat performance — but Gout’s performance in the semifinal will loom large ahead of this afternoon.

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