From comparisons to Usain Bolt and coaching with Noah Lyles, Gout Gout has begun to transcend the game of athletics in Australia, however his stunning loss on the weekend served as a reminder that he is nonetheless a teen and finally success isn’t assured.
“I do not like talking about it,” the 17-year-old Gout instructed 7.30.
“To be trustworthy, I simply preserve it easy. I am nonetheless a child, nonetheless in highschool, so you’ll be able to’t count on an excessive amount of from me.”
The son of South Sudanese migrants, Gout exploded on to the Australian athletics scene in 2023 after breaking the Underneath-18s Australian 200 metre document.
{The teenager} then cemented his place within the sport’s psyche by breaking legendary Australian sprinter Pete Norman’s 56-year-old nationwide 200m document in 20.04 seconds on the Australian All Faculties Championship in Brisbane final yr.
Gout then grew to become the primary Australian to interrupt the 20-second barrier a fortnight in the past on the Queensland Athletics Championships in Brisbane, operating the 200m dash in an finally unlawful, wind-assisted 19.98 seconds.
Within the final 12 months, he is reportedly signed a multi-million greenback sponsorship take care of Adidas and rubbed shoulders with 2024 Paris Olympic 100m Champion, American Noah Lyles.
Gout is now the face of Australian Athletics, which used his picture on the centre of the game’s advertising materials for the Maurie Plant meet — the primary offered out athletics occasion in Australia in additional than twenty years.
He’s starting to transcend the game in Australia.
“Everybody saying my identify, everybody screaming my identify to the highest of their lungs, it is undoubtedly nice, that is one thing not lots of people can expertise,”
Gout mentioned.
However the teenager admits his life is “undoubtedly not regular” proper now.
“Life isn’t regular, you have received the ups and downs, you bought the hurdles, you bought the rocks, you bought the sand, you bought the fireplace,” he mentioned.
“It is one thing I can get used to and one thing I can address.”
Gout Gout was swarmed by younger followers on the weekend’s athletics meet regardless of inserting second. (Getty Pictures: Cameron Spencer)
‘Offended’ in defeat
The runaway success of Gout attracted document crowds on the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, with the occasion promoting out for the primary time in additional than twenty years.
It additionally marked a primary for Gout himself, who had till this level solely ever raced towards youngsters, usually leaving a spot between him and his nearest rivals.
The Peter Norman Memorial 200m last occasion on Saturday night time marked the primary race the place Gout discovered himself racing towards a subject of fully-grown males — he positioned second — upset by fellow Queenslander Lachlan Kennedy.
Lachlan Kennedy narrowly beat Gout Gout to win the Peter Norman Memorial 200m occasion. (Getty Pictures: Cameron Spencer)
To beat Gout, Kennedy ran a private better of 20.26 seconds, and was contemporary off successful silver within the 60m last on the World Indoor Championships in China final week.
Proper now, 21-year-old Kennedy is the highest Australian males’s sprinter, and instructed reporters after the race that he was proud to have given the group ” race”.
“I’ve by no means run with a crowd like this earlier than, they actually gas me to carry G-man off,”
Kennedy mentioned.
“I simply wished to present them [the crowd] race. It would not be enjoyable if he simply destroyed everybody.
“I am sorry if it did spoil it, however what an incredible race, you’ll be able to’t be upset with that.”
Gout and Kennedy had been fast to have fun the opposite’s achievements after the race. (Getty Pictures: Cameron Spencer)
Gout, who had been unfamiliar with inserting second till now, mentioned the expertise would solely additional drive his want to succeed.
“Folks will say successful feels nice, second feels unhealthy and third feels even worse,” Gout mentioned.
“So coming second is one thing you’ll be able to expertise and it undoubtedly places gas to my hearth and it lights that burn.”
Gout’s coach Di Sheppard mentioned {the teenager} could be disillusioned with the consequence.
“I do know he is fairly indignant about that,” she instructed 7.30 after the race.
“Every thing we have performed is a step ahead, it is all about studying how to deal with this surroundings as properly, so I believe he is doing an incredible job.
“Simply keep in mind he is a 17-year-old boy … and he is received a vibrant future.”
Di Sheppard says Gout Gout has a vibrant future forward of him. (ABC Information: Andrew Altree-Williams)
The burden of expectations
Patrick Johnson holds the quickest time ever run by an Australian over 100m at 9.93 seconds.
Greater than 20 years later since his record-breaking run in at Mito in Japan, Johnson remains to be the benchmark for the occasion and stays the one Australian to run beneath 10 seconds over the blue riband distance.
It means Johnson is in a novel place to touch upon the hype surrounding Gout, who has drawn comparisons to Usain Bolt.
“I believe it is a good praise; I believe Gout Gout is a special animal,”
Johnson mentioned.
Patrick Johnson (proper) is aware of what it is prefer to be an athlete with nice public expectations. (Getty Pictures: Adam Fairly)
With a rivalry blooming between Gout and Kennedy, Johnson is cautious of the pressures being placed on younger athletes too quickly — one thing he’s all too acquainted with.
Within the lead as much as the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Johnson was locked in a battle with fellow sprinter Matt Shirvington to be the quickest man on the continent.
Johnson is a board member for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, the place it is hoped Gout will likely be at his peak — however the former champion says no gold medal is a assure.
“He’s having his personal expectations that he is in comparison with Usain Bolt and possibly among the greatest on this planet, and I am simply saying, ‘be your self mate’,” Johnson mentioned
“In six years, Gout Gout goes to be 24 and there is a lot that may occur in six years.
“There is a lengthy journey in observe and subject, there’s quite a lot of ups and downs and each race cannot be a PB so let’s be certain we assist them at each step.”
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