Lachie Kennedy outpoints Gout Gout in blockbuster 200m showdown at Melbourne’s Maurie Plant Meet

Lachie Kennedy has cemented his status as Australia’s fastest man, outpointing teenage sensation Gout Gout for a second straight year to snare the 200m title at Melbourne’s Maurie Plant Meet.

The marquee event in driving rain at Lakeside Stadium lived up to the billing, with 18-year-old Gout unable to flip the script after being beaten by Kennedy in last year’s race.

Kennedy got out of the blocks quickly in contrast to Gout, who appeared to suffer a minor slip in the early stages.

Gout closed quickly down the straight but ran out of track to hunt down Kennedy, whose time of 20.38sec was 0.05sec ahead of his rival.

“I was pretty fried... I knew I had to hit it hard (at the start) and just pray,” Kennedy said after the race.

“As you can tell, I’m pretty cooked.”

The result capped a dream night for Kennedy, who earlier romped to victory in the men’s 100m, with his time of 10.03sec - a meet record - 0.22sec ahead of Rohan Browning.

Kennedy said he was thoroughly enjoying his rivalry with Gout.

“Every time we race, it’s like cinema,” he said.

“I’m loving it.”

Bruce McAvaney said Kennedy made a super start to lay the groundwork for the victory.

“What he did in that first 100 metres is just absolutely breathtaking,” he said on Channel 7.

“And Gout acknowledges the fact that at the moment, Lachie is the No.1.

“It was so similar, in so many ways, from what we saw last year.”

Tamsyn Lewis-Manou added: “Unbelievable bend by Lachie Kennedy, we knew he was going to bring that.

“But Gout Gout looked like he stumbled at about five metres, it’d be interesting to see that replay, because he was so far down.

“It could have been the weather — he just looked like he slipped on the track when he was trying to put his power down out of the blocks.”

Ebony Lane (11.51sec) held off Chloe Mannix-Power and Olivia Dodds (both 11.56sec) to take out the women’s 100m.

WA Olympic champion Nina Kennedy proved far too strong in the women’s pole vault, with her top jump of 4.72m significantly ahead of Hana Moll (4.56m) in second.

Fellow Olympic medallist Matt Denny (67.51) won the men’s discus.

Two-time Olympian Michelle Jenneke won a tight women’s 100m hurdles in 13.05 (+1.2) ahead of Emily Britton (13.07) and Celeste Mucci (13.08).

Seth O’Donnell put a huge early gap on the field in an extraordinary men’s 3000m race, breaking at least 50m clear of his rivals, but was eventually hauled in by Jackson Sharp (7:41.02) on the line.

Sharp’s blistering finish meant he shaved 0.36 secs off the previous meet record and relegated O’Donnell (7:41.11) to second, with Melbourne-based Irishman Brian Fay (7:42.85) third.

American star Jacory Patterson also set a meet record by winning the men’s 400m in 44.41, ahead of locals Luke van Ratingen (45.03) and Tom Reynolds (45.13).