by Gout Gout’s success last weekend immediately made him the biggest name in Australian athletics, sparking a media and marketing frenzy. He will soon rub shoulders with Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the United States before returning to his 12th grade studies.
But Athletics Australia and Gout’s team are looking at the long term in a bid to help the 16-year-old – who turns 17 at the end of this month – become the best sprinter he can be, the resident says. ‘Ipswich. face of the Brisbane 2032 Games.
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Gout broke the Australian 200m record on Saturday by running 20.04sec, eclipsing the previous mark which had stood for more than half a century. The Queenslander was so fast his performance would have put him in the final at the Paris Olympics. Had he run that fast at Rio 2016, Gout would have finished with bronze behind gold medalist Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican great won eight Olympic gold medals and still holds the 200m world record of 19.19sec. The gout even caught the attention of the retired sprinter, and the 38-year-old wrote on Instagram that the Australian “looks like my younger self.”
Athletics Australia general manager of high performance Andrew Faichney said Gout’s performances had been phenomenal, but there was no immediate pressure.
“He is a great talent and is well nurtured by his coach Di Sheppard as well as our high performance system,” he said. “The world is his oyster and we can’t wait to see what he can do over the next few years.”
Gout’s path to the top of sprinting will continue as he joins American Lyles next month at a training camp in Florida hosted by Adidas, which sponsors both athletes.
Interest in Gout has exploded since his performances at the All Schools Championships in Brisbane, and his father Bona was arrested by Channel Seven on Sunday, leading to reports that Gout was to change his name.
But the teenager is comfortable with his nickname as it is and his team, including Sheppard and manager James Templeton, remain committed to plans for the summer drawn up before the weekend’s competition.
Gout was in Melbourne on Tuesday for a pre-arranged meeting with Adidas executives, and will return to Brisbane for Christmas with family before flying to the Florida camp.
His next competition is expected to be the Queensland state titles in March, before an appearance at Athletics Australia’s flagship event, the Maurie Plant Meet at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on March 29.
Gout was only signed by Adidas in October as part of a strategy by the shoe maker similar to the one he adopted with Lyles. The American signed while still in high school and extended that deal this year in a deal his management described as “the richest contract in the sport of track and field since the start at Usain Bolt’s retirement.
Athletic outlet Citius estimates that Bolt was paid $10 million a year by Puma at his peak.
Adidas’ signing of Gout already appears to be paying off, and an Instagram post featuring the teenager on his Australian account is already the third most liked of the year, behind one featuring Matilda Kyra Cooney-Cross and another with AFL player Charlie Curnow.
