Australia's fastest man knows what he wants - and he wants it now.
If sprint king Lachie Kennedy has his way, Commonwealth Games gold and breaking Patrick Johnson's long-standing national 100m record may only be weeks away.
The 22-year-old was a whisker off Johnson's mark of 9.93 seconds, set in 2003, when he ran a personal best 9.96 to win the national 100m title in Sydney in April.
"I'm not too far off it. I think it will fall pretty soon, to be honest," Kennedy told AAP.
"My goal this year was to run 9.80, so I think definitely before the end of the year.
"I don't like putting a limit on how fast I can go, but all I know is it's fast. I see no reason why I can't be one of the best."
After missing last year's world championships with a lower back injury, Kennedy has international glory firmly on his radar in 2026.
He will ramp up preparations for the Commonwealth Games - starting next month in Glasgow - when he will compete at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon on July 4 before heading to Europe.
"I want to win Comm Games. That's been my goal all year," Kennedy said.
"There's going to be a bunch of fast, world-class runners there.
"It's always a bit hit and miss with who shows up, so you don't really know until the Games, but I think on my day I can beat anyone.
"I'm going to head in there with some good form and hopefully handle business."
Enjoying an injury-free run, Kennedy is fitter and stronger than ever and in a positive frame of mind.
"Confidence is so important in a race like the 100 metres where it's super intense and over in 10 seconds," he said.
"It's pretty raw. You've got no room for hesitation.
"But I'm a pretty confident guy regardless. Even if I was running poorly I'd probably still have similar levels of confidence.
"I feel like mental strength and resilience is a big factor and a big part of my success as well."
Kennedy believes he has improved across the board this year, in particular with his starts and top speed.
He is reaping the benefits of a revised schedule of fewer races and more intentional training, but adds there is still plenty of room for growth.
"The back-end of my race and speed endurance is something I can definitely work on," Kennedy said.
"My top speed can also get up there, my positions when I run and my technique in general - there's so much I can improve on.
"But I'll take it one step at a time. I'm young and I've got a lot of time to worry about getting better."
Kennedy is a central figure in a boom time for Australian men's sprinting, amid growing rivalries with teen sensation Gout Gout and Eddie Nketia.
Kiwi-turned-Aussie Nketia has twice gone faster than Johnson's national record this year, but with tailwinds above the legal mark of 2m per second.
"It's a 'rising tide lifts all boats' sort of thing," Kennedy said.
"As soon as you have a couple of guys running fast everyone sort of lifts and all of a sudden the bar overall is going to rise.
"A couple of years ago 10.1 or 10.2 was really, really fast, whereas now that's just solid, you know? It's nothing crazy.
"So now the expectation is just way higher and I think it's good for the sport and everyone else."
