Driven Australian teen, Gout, hungerously eyes further competition following world championship elimination
Young Australian Sprinter Gout Aims for Sub-20 Seconds in Future Races
After a thrilling performance at the Tokyo Olympics, 17-year-old Australian athlete Gout has set his sights on breaking the 20-second barrier in future races.
Gout, who was born to South Sudanese parents who fled the war-torn country and arrived in Australia in 2006, participated in the 200m sprint event in Tokyo. Despite not achieving his goal of running under 20 seconds, he vowed that the experience was 'fuel to my fire' and that he is hungry for more competition.
In the semi-finals, Gout faced Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and Bryan Levell of Jamaica. Although he finished behind Levell, Tebogo, and American Courtney Lindsey, Gout showcased his determination by running 20.04 seconds - a time faster than Usain Bolt's Under-18 best of 20.13 seconds.
Gout's mentor is Noah Lyles, the American sprinter who also competed in Tokyo and set a personal best of 19.31 seconds. Despite not achieving his personal best in Tokyo, Gout predicted that running under 20 seconds would be a matter of time.
Despite the media attention he received in Tokyo, Gout remained focused on his goals. He stated that the media attention gave him confidence and he would use it as 'fuel to his fire.' After the semi-finals, Gout attracted a large group of reporters, eager to hear his thoughts on his performance.
Gout's mindset in the race was to get out hard and stick with his rivals, and then pedal down the home straight. In the race, he did not get off to a great start but finished strongly, picking off Canada's Jerome Blake.
Gout has a personal best of 20.02 seconds this season and plans to return to the athletics' big stage in the future. After the Olympics, he will return to Australia to sit his high school exams, but he is already looking forward to his next opportunity to compete.
The 11-time world champion and eight-time Olympic gold medallist, Usain Bolt, was in Tokyo to witness Gout's senior international debut. Although Gout has not had a chance to speak to Bolt yet, he is eager to learn from the legendary sprinter and hopes to one day follow in his footsteps.
With his talent, determination, and mentorship from Noah Lyles, Gout is certainly one to watch in the world of athletics. As he continues to train and compete, it will be exciting to see if he can achieve his goal of running under 20 seconds in the near future.
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