This may not have been the day Gout Gout entered rarefied air, but he has declared breaking the 10-second barrier was a milestone he would soon achieve, as he revealed he would soon embark for the US for the chance to challenge American sprinter Noah Lyles.
Gout delivered a lavish wave to the Brisbane crowd as he overcame a sluggish start, in which he fell behind fellow Queenslander Uwezo Lubenda, to triumph in the 100-metre final at the Australian Athletics junior championships โ doing so in 10.21 seconds with a 0.5 tailwind.
The 18-year-old Ipswich sensation was pushing to join Lachlan Kennedy โ who in last weekโs open national championships clocked 9.96 seconds twice โ and Olympic great Patrick Johnson in the sub-10 second club.
Ultimately, it was not to be. However, given how short of the finish line he was when he began to wave at his family in the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre crowd, there was a sense he could have eclipsed that same milestone.
But that is not in the nature of Australiaโs newest sporting showman.
โObviously, I didnโt have the best start, but I came out for the W [win] pretty much. I was waving to my family, fans and a couple of friends … the more of a show [I put on], the more people who are going to come and watch,โ Gout said.
โThe more people there are, the more pressure. The more pressure, the faster you run, so putting on a show is definitely great. These amazing people come to watch athletics, not only me but everyone else, which is amazing.
โYouโve got to love putting on a show. I donโt really feel pressure too much, pressure comes with the territory, but at the end of the day, Iโm going to go out there and have a bit of fun.โ
Gout arrived back in Brisbane fresh off truly announcing himself on the world stage, running the 200 metres in 19.67 seconds last week to become the fattest athlete on the planet in the distance under the age of 20.
That time bettered the feats of Usain Bolt as a teenager, whose fastest time at that stage was 19.93.
Goutโs exploits garnered criticism from Americaโs sprinting fraternity, with former college sprinter Erin Brown labelling it โfakeโ due to the favourable conditions, and Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin challenging him to reach those heights overseas before being considered a global threat.
Gout will soon get the chance to prove his American โhatersโ wrong, and he confirmed he would venture to the US for a training camp with the hope of contesting Paris Olympic champion Lyles โ the pair are both part of Adidasโ sponsorship stable.
However, he insisted he had no desire to relocate there permanently ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
โIโm fairly sure Iโll be racing him [Lyles], Iโm not sure in what exact meet,โ Gout revealed.
โIt would mean a lot, knowing I can go out against the Olympic champion and multi-time world champion, so it definitely feels great, and itโll definitely up my game for sure versing the best in the world. I think Australia is home for me, I donโt think I plan on that [moving] right now. If it comes through then maybe, but right now, Iโm definitely staying in Australia.
After breezing through his Friday heat in 10.19 seconds, Gout did not have it all his own way on Saturday โ battling a 2.2m/s headwind as he won his semi-final in 10.45 seconds. Goutโs personal legal best, 10 seconds flat, has him on the cusp of reaching the sub-10 stratosphere.
His best-timed race, on the same Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre track at last yearโs national championships, came at 9.99 seconds.
However, he was aided by illegal tailwinds.
โ100 per cent, I mean Iโve done 10 flat in my season opener, and that race was a bit rocky, so Iโm pretty sure thatโs coming soon,โ Gout said, when asked if the 10-second mark neared.
โObviously, [I produced] nothing world-class, obviously I was coming here to have a bit of fun after nationals.โ
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