The hype is real when it comes to teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout, but his incredible time of 10.04 in the 100 meters at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane on Friday won’t go down in any history books .
An illegal 3.4m/s tailwind denied the 16-year-old his moment, not that the Ipswich Grammar student was kicking any stones.
Gout still recorded the fifth-fastest time by an Australian and, given that his exit from the blocks was laborious, there is significant room for improvement.
After his seemingly effortless victory, Gout won the 100 m final in 10:17, assisted by a 0.9 m/s tailwind.
It was the sixth-fastest time ever achieved by an under-18 player in the world and showed that Gout can handle the pressure.
Gout’s previous unofficial time of 10.04 had only previously been beaten by Patrick Johnson (9.88, 3.6 m/s wind), Rohan Browning (9.96, 3.3 m/s), Tim Jackson (10.00, 4.3 m/s) and the former Olympic athlete turned TV. identity Matt Shirvington (10.03, -0.1 m/s).
The hype is real when it comes to teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout (pictured at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane)
The 16-year-old ran an impressive time of 10.04 in his 100m final, but the illegal 3.4m/s tailwind ensured his time was not added to the history books.
As his profile rises, Gout knows he’s the center of attention most places he goes (pictured, after bombing the field to win the 100m final).
After the race, Gout thanked his family for his “difficult journey” after moving to Australia “in search of a better life” from South Sudan.
He also knows that many eyes will be on him every time he uses his spikes.
“Athletics right now is getting bigger,” he said. “Australia is now a great country in athletics and I couldn’t be happier.”
On Saturday, Gout will compete in the 200m heats, and it’s safe to say finals, where he will be the gold medal favorite in his age group after running 20.29 at the All Schools Queensland track and field championships in November.
As your profile increases, Drop He knows he is the center of attention most places he goes.
Constant comparisons to Jamaican sports great Usain Bolt would be intimidating for many teenagers, but not for the confident student from suburban Brisbane.
Gout is happy to take it all in stride, literally, and see how far the sport takes him.
Already sponsored by Adidas, the son of South Sudanese immigrants Monica and Bona Gout finished second in the 200 meters final at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima in August.
Already sponsored by Adidas, Gout Gout is the son of South Sudanese immigrants Monica (left) and Bona Gout.
At just 16 years old, Brisbane-based track sprinter Gout Gout is the future of Australian athletics
The driver was competing with athletes up to two years older and tore through the track to record a skillful time of 20.60.
Gout’s coach, Di Sheppard, believes that the son of two South Sudanese immigrants could be an Olympic champion in the 100 and 200 meters like his idol Usain Bolt.
Gout is also convinced that he will eventually be able to break the elusive 10-second barrier.
The last Australia to do so was Patrick Johnson in 2003, who clocked 9.93 at a meet in Japan.
The drop has stated that a sub 10 time will “definitely happen” and given that he has started to break Olympic icon Bolt’s youth records, it’s hard to argue with that.
His coach Di Sheppard, who discovered him when Gout was a seventh-grader, is just as confident.
“We talk about it because for us it is a fact (that he breaks 10 seconds),” he said. News Corporation.
“When it happens, it happens, and it could happen early… because everything is happening sooner than we expected.”
Come the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, Gout will be 24 and Sheppard believes he can run the 100m and 200m double on the world’s biggest stage.
Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, is considered the greatest sprinter of all time.
When it comes to Bolt, Gout is determined to be himself, but given their similar style on the track, he knows comparisons are inevitable.
In January, Gout and Sheppard will travel to the US for a training stint with Orlando-based Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles.
The main goal will be to see Lyles in person and learn how to deal with the considerable hype that is sure to follow in the coming years.
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