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Newly crowned Australian 100m champion Lachlan Kennedy has pulled out of the 200m event at the national championships on Sunday morning, hours before he was due to compete.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n Kennedy told journalists after winning the 100m on Saturday night<\/a> that he was not sure whether he could back up for the 200m.<\/p>\n \u201cWait and see. See how that body pulls up. Listen to the experts, physios and all that, but yeah, we\u2019ll see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Australian Athletics<\/a> confirmed Kennedy would not compete prior to competition starting on Sunday.<\/p>\n The rematch was set to be one of the highlights of these national championships<\/a>. Kennedy, speaking on Saturday, acknowledged the fans\u2019 expectation.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to promise anything and then not deliver, but I mean, we\u2019ll see how it goes, just see how the body pulls up.<\/p>\n \u201cEither way it\u2019ll be good [competition] tomorrow whether I\u2019m there or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Kennedy backed up for the 200m at last year\u2019s national titles, but was disqualified before the final in which Gout secured his first national title<\/a>.<\/p>\n